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Copyrights 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSOi 



By WALTER WINANS 



The Art of Revolver Shooting. 

Royal 8vo. New Edition, Revised 
and Enlarged. Fully Illustrated 

net, $5.00 

The Sporting Rifle. 

Royal 8vo. Fully Illustrated 

net, $5.00 

Hints on Revolver Shooting. 

i6mo. Illustrated net, $1.00 

Practical Rifle Shooting. 

161110. Illustrated net, 50 cents 



Q. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 

NEW YORK LONDON 



THE ART OF REVOLVER SHOOTING 








^ 



THE ART OF 
REVOLVER SHOOTING 

TOGETHER WITH ALL INFORMATION CONCERNING THE 

AUTOMATIC AND SINGLE-SHOT PISTOL, AND HOW 

TO HANDLE THEM TO THE BEST ADVANTAGE 

BY 

WALTER WINANS 

CHEVALIER OF THE IMPERIAL RUSSIAN ORDER OF ST. STANISLAUS 

OLYMPIC CHAMPION FOR DOUBLE-RIFLE SHOOTING IN 1 008 

REVOLVER CHAMPION, FIVE YEARS NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN 

SEVEN YEARS OF THE SOUTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB AND TEN YEARS OF 

THE NORTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB 

ONE YEAR DUELLING PISTOL CHAMPION AT GASTINNE-RENETTe's, PARIS 

VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION OF GREAT BRITAIN 

MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES REVOLVER ASSOCIATION AND OF LE PISTOLET CLUB OF PARIS 

PRESIDENT OF ASHFORD RIFLE CLUB, ETC. 

NEW EDITION, REVISED AND ENLARGED 



HEAD AND TAIL PIECES DRAWN BY THE AUTHOR 
ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHS BY 
ROUCH, FRY, PURDEY, PENFOLD, AND OTHERS 



G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS 
NEW YORK AND LONDON 
XTbe IRntcfterbocfeer press 

191 1 



Copyright, 1901 

BY 

WALTER WINANS 

Copyright, 191 i 

by 

WALTER WINANS 



Ube ftatcfecrbocltcr iprese, ftcw v;ort; 



©CI, A 2 sr, 3 




REEACE 



I constantly receive letters from all parts 
of the world asking my advice on pistol and 
revolver matters. It seemed, therefore, that 
there was a want of information on this sub- 
ject. I tried to supply this information in 
the book I wrote in 1901 called The Art of Revolver Shoot- 
ing, in which I gave further and fuller details than could 
be given in separate letters to those who have done me 
the honour of consulting me. 

My book was, therefore, of some use to beginners who 
have no one at hand to show them how to set to work, 
but since then many improvements have been made in 
pistols and revolvers, so that the time seemed to have 
come for me to write a second edition of the book, in which 
all the information given would be brought well up to date. 
This I have done, adding a chapter on automatic and 
duelling pistols, there not having been any previous work 
published which deals with the latter. 

Working a thing out for yourself is always a much 
longer process than being started in the right way at first ; 
and you may get into a bad way of doing things, which 



iv Preface 



it is hard later to unlearn. Also, you may be working on 
a line which has already been tried and found wanting, 
and which therefore renders your labour a mere waste of 
time. 

I do not think that anyone who takes up pistol and 
revolver shooting — for other than man-killing purposes — 
will ever regret it. It is not only morally and physically 
a healthy sport, but it teaches self-reliance, coolness, and 
the control of one's temper, which last such amusements 
as croquet and golf, for instance, certainly do not. Pistol 
shooting is also an accomplishment always useful and 
sometimes of vital importance. It is thus unlike croquet, 
cricket, lawn-tennis, golf, and all other games which 
develop skill only in forms that cannot be of practical use. 
It may be objected that the games I condemn are useful 
as exercises for the development of the body ; but there are 
plenty of forms of sports — shooting, hunting, swimming, 
polo, bicycling, and so on — which give just as good, or 
better, exercise, yet at the same time teach skill in some- 
thing useful instead of in mere play fit only for boys. 

If men spent in seeking to attain proficiency with the 
rifle, the pistol, or even the shot-gun, a twentieth part 
of the time they at present devote to playing useless 
games, they would make their country invincible. Well- 
ington is said to have declared that battles were won on the 
playgrounds. That may have been the case in times 
when men shot with "gas-pipes" and needed only to 
"loose off," the direction of the bullet having little re- 
lation to the aim taken. With modern arms of precision, 
however, the battles of the future will be won in the forest 



Preface 



V 



and at the rifle-range. The difficulty of finding sufficient 
rifle-ranges in a densely populated country is one that will 
increase as time goes on, but meanwhile it should be borne 
in mind that, with gallery ammunition, a five-yards' range 
in any odd corner or cellar is ample space for pistol prac- 
tice. It may moreover fairly be claimed that the greater 
difficulty of pistol shooting makes it a valuable training 
in the use of the rifle, though the converse by no means 
holds. The nation that is not a "shooting nation" will 
"get left" in war time. I hope, however, that as 
countries become more civilised they will pay greater heed 
to the idea of arbitration in place of war, the idea which 
was so nobly inaugurated by His Imperial Majesty the 
Emperor of Russia (my fatherland), and that by the 
time the pistol becomes obsolete there will be no need 
of a weapon to take its place, but that the revolver and 
war will die out together. 

W. W. 

surrenden park, 

Kent, England, 1910. 





CONTENTS 



CHAPTER PAGE 

I. — Personal ....... i 

II. — Personal (Continued) .... 7 

III. — Evolution of the Revolver . . .10 

IV. — Selecting a Pistol ..... 20 

V. — Ammunition ... . . . -33 

VI. — Cleaning and Care of Weapons . . 42 

VII.— Sights .46 

VIII. — Learning to Use the Pistol 55 

IX. — Pistol and Revolver Clubs . , . 85 

X. — Practice and Training .... 109 

XI. — Gallery Shooting . . . . .116 

XII. — Gastinne-Renette's Gallery in Paris . 126 

XIII. — Le Pistolet Club . . . . .144 

XIV. — Competitions with the Devilliers Bullet 146 

XV. — Duelling . . . . . . .154 

XVI. — The .22 Calibre Single-Shot Pistol . 167 

XVII. — National Rifle Association Meeting at 

Bisley . . . . . . .176 



viii Contents 

CHAPTER PAGE 

XVIII. — Bisley Continued — Disappearing Tar- 
get . . . . . . . .190 

XIX. — Bisley Continued — Rapid Firing . . 208 

XX. — Bisley Continued — Traversing Target . 217 

XXI. — Bisley Continued — Advancing Target . 225 

XXII. — Bisley Concluded — Stationary 50 Yards 

Target . . . . . . 229 

XXIII. — Team Shooting and Coaching . . . 232 

XXIV. — General Remarks on Shooting in Com- 
petitions ...... 238 

XXV. — -Automatic Pistols ..... 241 

XXVI. — The Revolver in War .... 247 

XXVII. — Stage Shooting 255 

XXVIII.— Trick Shooting 266 

XXIX. — Blank Ammunition for Stage Purposes . 270 

XXX. — Big-Game Shooting with the Revolver . 273 

XXXI. — Target Shooting off Horseback . . 290 

XXXII. — Small-Game Shooting .... 294 

XXXIII. — Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol . . 296 

XXXIV. — Clay-Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol 299 

XXXV. — Shooting in Self-Defence . . . 302 

XXXVI. — Pistol Shooting for Ladies . . . 315 



Contents 



IX 



CHAPTER 

XXXVII.— Shooting from a Bicycle 
XXXVIII. — Revolvers for the Police 
XXXIX. — Killing Disabled Animals 
XL. — Shooting in the Dark 
Appendix 
Index 



PAGE 
320 

323 
326 

330 
336 

345 




ILLUSTRATIONS 



FULL PAGE 
The Author ...... Frontispiece 

The Four Principal Revolvers ..... 

Smith & Wesson ("Winans* Model") 

"Bisley" Colt 

"Target" Webley 

Smith & Wesson Military 

The Author's Shooting Position . 

Badges Won by the Author 

The Gastinne-Renette Challenge Trophy 

Position for "Attention" .... 

Position when Shooting .... 

The Author ....... 

The Position of some Duellists at the Word "Atten 
tion" . ...... 

The Author's Position at "Attention" 

Correct Position at the Moment of Firing 

Pistols by Gastinne-Renette 

Bisley Prize Certificate .... 



27 



59 

115 
138 
148 
150 
152 

155 
157 
159 
163 

175 



xii Illustrations 



Position for Shooting at an Advancing Object 



PAGE 



Some of the Author's Championship Badges . . 177 

Some of the Revolver Prizes and Championship Badges 

Won by the Author ...... 193 

The Author's Championship Diploma Awarded at 

Olympic Games in London, 1908 .... 233 

Diagrams of Twelve Highest Possible Scores Made 
by Author in Revolver Competitions at 20 Yards 

in 1895 235 

Shooting on Horseback — Pursuing Shot . . . 249 

Shooting on Horseback — Retiring Shot . . -251 

Shooting with Revolver Upside Down . . . 257 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — A Running Shot . 275 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — Two Hit . . . 277 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — "One, Two, Three" 279 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — Breaking up the Herd 281 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — Overtaking the Herd 283 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — "Riding out" a Buck 285 

Deer Shooting off Horseback — "A Right and Left" . 287 

Shooting off Horseback — Charging . . . .291 

Self-Defence — At Bay ...... 305 



309 



[The Author takes this opportunity of recording his appreciation of the great pains taken 
by Mr. W. Rouch, of 191 Strand, London, in connection with the series of horse 
studies in the above list.] 

IN THE TEXT 
Original Colt Revolver ...... 4 

"Troika" in a Snowstorm ...... 6 

The Author with his Cat " Matty " .... 9 

Ancient Flint-lock Pistols . . . . .11 



Illustrations xiii 

PAGE 

Ancient Flint -and -Steel Revolver — Age, 170 to 200 

Years . . . . . . .12 

Bow-Pistol — 1300 . . . . . . 13 

Match-lock — 1525 ....... 14 

Wheel-lock— 1625 . . . . . . .15 

Flint-lock — 1776 ........ 16 

Percussion-lock — 1830 . . . . . 17 

Revolver — 1865 . . . . . . . .18 

Extension Stock as Applied to .44 Single - Action 

Revolver ........ 19 

Dick Turpin's Ride ....... 19 

Smith & Wesson New Solid - Frame Revolvers for 

Smokeless Powder . . . . . . .21 

Engraved .38 Smith & Wesson ..... 22 

Engraved Russian Model Smith & Wesson ... 22 

Section of Cylinder, Showing Hardened Steel Shims, 

Unfinished ........ 22 

sldeplate of military revolver, showing raised steel 

Bosses ......... 22 

Elaborately Carved Revolvers, Owned by the Author 24 

Smith & Wesson .44 Double-Action Revolver . . 26 

Smith & Wesson Military Revolvers .... 29 

Cartridges 34, 35, 36 

Smith & Wesson Self-Lubricating Cartridge . . 37 



Cut Showing Details of Construction of the Self- 
Lubricating Bullet ...... 



37 



XIV 



Illustrations 



Automatic Shell Extractor as Applied to all Jointed- 
Frame Models of the Smith & Wesson Revolvers 

Reloading Tools 

Target Sights .... 

Special Target Sights 

Winans' Revolver Front-Sights 

Olympic Target .... 

Patent Safety Butt 

How to Cock a Revolver 

The Correct Way to Hold a Revolver 

The Correct Position for the Thumb 

Two Systems of Ejecting, Smith & Wesson 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — 
Stationary Target — Eleven Shots 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — 
Stationary Target — Ten Shots .... 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, at 20 Yards — Nine 
Shots ...... 

Twelve Shots at 20 Yards, by the Author 

Shot by Author, Sept. 22, 1892 

Ten Shots at 20 Yards by the Author 

Standard American Target 

Belgian Single-Shot Pistol — Saw-Handle 

Styles of Smith & Wesson Engraving . 

Styles of Smith & Wesson Engraving 

Smith & Wesson Single-Shot Target Pistol 



38 
39 
47 
50 
53 
56 
61 
64 

67 
68 
76 

89 

89 

93 

93 

97 

97 

in 

117 

119 

121 

123 



Illustrations 



XV 



PACE 

Gastinne-Renette's Gallery . . . . .128 

Underground Gallery for Heavy Charges . .129 

Gastinne-Renette's Gallery — Firing Points . . 130 

How Some Hold the Duelling Pistol — Figure 1 . . 131 

The Author's Way of Holding the Duelling Pistol — 

Figure 2 ........ 132 

How Some Hold the Duelling Pistol (Another View) — 

Figure 3 133 

The Author's Way of Holding the Duelling Pistol 

(Another View) — Figure 4 . . . 134 

Silhouette Showing Spots Made by the Author in Com- 
petition AT THE GASTINNE-RENETTE GALLERY, APRIL 

7, 1910 136 

Duelling Pistols by Gastinne-Renette — The Property 

of the Author ....... 137 

The Gastinne-Renette 16 Metres Target . .139 

Duelling Pistols by Gastinne-Renette . . 141 

How to Hold the Duelling Pistol with Guard for 

Shooting Devilliers Bullet .... 147 

.22 Calibre Target Pistol by Leeson . . . . 149 

Pistols by Gastinne-Rennete . . . . .168 

Wurfflein Pistol . . . . . . .169 

Smith & Wesson Pistol . . . . . .169 

Stevens Pistol — Gould Model . . . . .169 

Stevens Diamond Model Pistol . . . . .170 

.22 Smith & Wesson Pistol with Interchangeable 

.32 Barrel ........ 170 



xvi Illustrations 

PAGE 

How to Hold the Gastinne-Renette Modification of 

the Stevens . . . . . . . -171 

Stevens " Offhand Target " . . . . . -171 

Stevens "Lord" ........ 172 

Stevens Vernier New Model Pocket " Rifle " . . 172 

Stevens New Model Pocket or Bicycle "Rifle" . 172 

Stevens "Tip-up" ........ 173 

Stevens "Diamond" ...... . 173 

Webley Man-Stopping Bullet . . . . .181 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- 
pearing Target . . . . . . .195 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- 
pearing Target ....... 200 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Disap- 
pearing Target ....... 204 

Author's " Best-on-Record " Score, 6 Shots in 12 Seconds 209 

Rapid Firing — Author's "Best-on-Record" for Military 

Revolver and Sights . . . . . .211 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, 20 Yards Rapid- 

Firing Target . . . . . . .213 

Police Target — Double- Action Colt Revolver . .215 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score for 3-inch Bull's- 
eye Traversing Target, 20 Yards . . . .219 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score for 2-inch Bull's- 
eye Traversing Target, 20 Yards . . . . 222 

Bisley Camp by Night ...... 224 

Author's "Best-on-Record" Score, Advancing Target . 227 

"Best-on-Record" — Made by Author — 50 Yards Target 230 

Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver . . . 242 

Colt Automatic Pistol, Pocket Model, Calibre .32 . 242 

Colt Automatic Pistol, Calibre .32 ... 243 



Illustrations 



XVH 



Colt Automatic Pistol, Military Model, Calibre .45 

Colt Automatic Pistol, Military Model, Calibre .38 

Lugar Automatic Pistol .... 

New Army Colt Double-Action Revolver 

New Navy Colt Double-Action Revolver 

New Service Colt Double-Action Revolver 

Russian Model Army Revolver, Smith & Wesson 

Shooting with Revolver Upside-Down — Figure A 

Shooting with Revolver Upside Down — Figure B 

Revolver Half Canted to the Right— Figure C 

Revolver Half Canted to the Left — Figure D 

Extension Stock, as Applied to .44 Single-Action 
Revolvers ........ 

How to Hold the Shot Pistol . .... 

Smith & Wesson Hammerless Safety Revolvers — .38 
and. 32 Calibre ....... 

Mechanism of the Smith & Wesson Hammerless Safety 
Revolver ..... 

Colt Derringer, .41 Calibre, Rim Fire 

Automatic Extractor .... 

Smith & Wesson Bicycle Revolver 

Statuette Designed by the Author 

The Greener Killer — Manufactured by W. W. Greener 

The Pocket Pattern Killer 

Pocket Colt Double-Action Revolver 

Police Colt Double-Action Revolver 

Winans' Patent Electric Sight .... 



PAGE 
244 

244 

245 
248 
250 
252 

253 
260 
26l 
262 
263 

288 
297 

303 

304 
312 
321 
321 

323 
327 

328 

331 
332 

333 




WORLD'S CHAMPIONSHIP GOLD MEDAL 
OLYMPIC GAMES 1908 



THE ART OF PISTOL 
AND REVOLVER SHOOTING 



CHAPTER I 
PERSONAL 



S probably no one has done more 
pistol and revolver shooting, 
or shot with pistols and revolv- 
ers on a more systematic and 
experimental basis, than I have, 
the rough notes in this book 
may be of use to those who 
desire to take up this class of 
shooting as a pastime. I had 
the further advantage of the 
instruction, advice and help of the greatest revolver and 
pistol shot who has ever lived, — the late Chevalier Ira 
Paine. 

Sir Joshua Reynolds, when asked with what he mixed 
his colours, replied: "With brains." I found that Ira 
Paine's secret of success was that he shot "with brains." 
He thought out everything, and in consequence got from 
the pistol results which, until he did so, had been con- 




2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

sidered beyond the possibilities of the weapon, and some 
of his scores constitute, to this day, world's records. The 
gold medal revolver score framed at Gastinne Renette's 
gallery, for instance, is by far the best score there. 

When I first began revolver shooting I read in a 
standard book on shooting that to hit, at a distance 
of ten paces, a mark the size of a man, was about as much 
as anyone could expect to do with a revolver! To-day 
if a man at that distance cannot hit the pip of the ace 
of hearts he has only himself to blame. 

The nature of this work — the book contains practically 
an account of my personal experience with pistol and 
revolver — renders it almost imperative to use frequently 
the pronoun "I," which, though certainly egotistical, 
enables me to put my thoughts and instructions in ex- 
actly the way I want to. Also by giving diagrams of 
my "best on record" scores I enable the pistol shooter 
to compare scores when he himself shoots. 

I do not, except in the chapter on Self-defence — on 
which subject I am glad to say my personal experiences 
are nil — quote from other writers. Therefore I cannot 
say, " Pistol shooters do so-and-so." All I say is, "I do 
so-and-so." Also I ask to be excused for using shooting 
and other slang, for often it is possible to express in one 
word of the kind what might otherwise require a whole 
paragraph of description. 

Other ways of getting at results with the revolver may 
perhaps be, and probably are, better than those which I 
recommend; but I have been fairly successful with my 
way, and this is my excuse for describing it. A man is 



Personal 3 

born a pistol shot, just as he may be born an artist, a 
mathematician, or a horseman. The expert is there in 
embryo and needs only to be developed. All the same, 
most men can learn to shoot fairly well with a pistol if 
they have not a trembling hand and if their eyesight is 
not too bad. A little shakiness in a beginner is not of 
consequence, and it may come from gripping the "hand" 
of the pistol too hard. But I have never known a man 
do much good with the pistol who was more than a very 
moderate smoker or drinker. 

My advice to all pistol shots is: Never fire a shot 
carelessly or at random. If you are getting tired, stop 
shooting. A few shots fired carefully are worth hundreds 
"blazed away." 

Think out the reason for any shot not having struck 
"plumb centre"; find out the reason for the failure, and 
never rest satisfied until you know why the bullet went 
wrong. Discover if it was inevitable, as, for instance, in 
the case of a gust of wind catching your arm, or a bad 
cartridge, or, in the case of a muzzle-loading duelling 
pistol, if the bad shot was due to a variation in the powder 
charge. If it is remediable, remedy it with the very next 
shot, and make up your mind that that mistake at any 
rate shall not occur again. I always presuppose the use 
of an accurate weapon. Practice with any other is waste 
of time. 

Many people say: "Oh, pistol shooting is such a use- 
less accomplishment; such a waste of time!" Is it? 
How often is a man's life — or a woman's, for that matter 
— saved by knowing how to shoot a revolver? I do not 



4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

mean necessarily a man's own life, but that of someone 
dependent upon him. There is no necessity to be a 
bully, or, in most cases, to take human life; it is the mere 
knowledge that you have the upper hand that often 
gives the safety, and puts a physically weak person on 
an equality with the strongest. Also there are cases 
where money damages are out of the question, and 
resort to the duelling pistol the only possible thing to 
be done. 

I remember, many years ago, my father was travelling 
to St. Petersburg from the frontier, before the railway was 
completed. It was winter; the driver lost his way, and 
the sledge got off the road in a snow-storm at night. 




ORIGINAL COLT REVOLVER 



The driver began unharnessing the horses (it was a 
"troika"), intending to ride off and abandon my father 
and his sister, who was with him, to their fate. My father 
happened to have in his pocket one of the first Colt 
revolvers ever made, presented to him by Colonel Colt, 
and he took it out and asked the driver to reharness the 
horses and remain in the sledge. They waited thus all 



Persoital 5 

night, and in the morning found their way back to the 
road. That is a case in which a revolver saved two lives 
without its being discharged. 

As they say in the States: "You seldom need a revol- 
ver, but when you do you need it mighty badly." 

Others say: "What is the use of learning revolver 
shooting? Anyone can use a revolver at the short range 
required for self-defence without special training. " Can 
he? To begin with, many revolvers shoot almost a yard 
too high; besides which a "duffer" with a revolver and 
especially an automatic pistol is one of the most dan- 
gerous persons to himself or his friends, and about one 
of the safest things that a man who is a good pistol 
shot can tackle. 

Being able to shoot with gun or rifle does not neces- 
sarily enable a man to hit even a large object with a 
pistol. It is very important that anyone who is armed 
with the shorter weapon should learn how to handle it, 
and not trust to his skill with other firearms as an excuse 
for not studying the peculiarities of the one-handed 
"shooting-iron." 

I find confirmation of my contention that ordinary 
shooting does not teach revolver shooting, in a letter from 
Mr. G. D. Giles, Special Correspondent of the Daily 
Graphic, dated February 28th, 1901, from Koodoosberg 
Drift. He writes: 

" Having got the rations, in the shape of live-stock, the next 
thing is to kill it, and this, in the absence of butchers, is not such an 
easy thing as might be supposed. . . . An officer, armed with a 
revolver, tries to get into a favourable position for a shot. The 



6 Art of Revolve?" Shooting 

cattle will not stand still, and the officer with the revolver walks 
round them, the muzzle occasionally pointed in the direction of the 
spectators. Suddenly there is a bang, followed by the ping of the 
bullet as it flies across the camp, and the bullock turns unconcernedly 
away. Then one of the men says: 'I think it dropped in the 
Lancers . They shouted ! ' " 

This exactly corroborates my statement that a 
"duffer" with a revolver or an automatic pistol is more 
dangerous to spectators and himself than to the object 
which he wants to hit. 

The man who knows nothing about a revolver will, 
most likely, carry it in his pocket with the hammer down 
on the cap of one chamber; then the slightest jar may send 
it off. Or, thinking he "knows all about it," he carries it 
at half-cock; then, when he draws in a hurry, the hammer 
catches in his pocket, and he shoots himself. With an 
automatic pistol there is even greater danger, especially 
in returning it to the pocket after one shot has been fired. 

Another advantage in pistol shooting as a sport is that 
it is a " clean ' ' sport. There is no gambling or rough play. 
No man who drinks or smokes heavily can possibly shoot 
a pistol accurately. If he wishes to excel, he must get into 
training as strict and regular as if he intended to row in 
a boat race. 

■■ 




TROIKA IN A SNOW-STORM 



CHAPTER II 



PERSONAL {Continued) 




$ jfvs' *ft- 






3 



'i /[ t T, 



T is a fact that I became a pistol shot because I 
was forbidden to shoot. My parents natur- 
ally, but, as I thought at the time, most 
unreasonably, forbade me to have 
firearms when I was a very small 
child. As a shot-gun or even a 
gallery rifle would have ' ' given 
me away," I was reduced to 
smuggling in a French Flo- 
bert pistol. But as I 
found that the Flobert car- 
tridges made too much 
noise, and would be likely to attract attention, I got 
the breech caps with only fulminate in them and then 
filled them up with bread. The bread pellet, driven 
by the fulminate of the cap, had just sufficient power 
and penetration to go through paper targets and 
the "running deer" which I made. Also I used to 
"snuff" candles with it, and knock over tin soldiers. 
In fact I was always playing with this pistol. I re- 
member one day how my cat Matty, and I, were after 
a mouse. I got a shot at the mouse, using a bulleted cap, 

7 



8 Art of Revolver Shooting 

but I do not recollect hitting it. I think this constant 
familiarity with the pistol made shooting with it become 
second nature to me. 

In taking aim, I do not close the left eye; indeed I 
am physically unable to close one without shutting both, 
but I can ignore what I see with either eye, being able to 
look through a telescope with both eyes open, though all 
the time seeing only with the one that I happen to put 
to the eyepiece of the telescope. My eyes are equal as 
to sight and strength, which is, I understand, unusual, 
most men having a "master eye." 

When travelling from the frontier to St. Petersburg, 
a revolver which was hanging in our six-horse travelling 
carriage would have come in useful ; but at that time I was 
only six years old. I was with my aunt, nurse, and 
brother, the last named an infant. It was a pitch-dark 
night, and we had just changed horses. The driver, in 
getting up, swung his cloak; the horses started, the man 
fell, and we were off into the darkness! My aunt opened 
a door, lowered the folding step, and, kneeling on it, tried 
to get hold of the reins of the galloping horses but could 
not reach them. She then got back, shut the door, and 
prevented the nurse throwing herself and us children 
out. All the time, the revolver instinct being latent 
within me, I kept calling out : ' ' Take the pistol and shoot 
the horses ! ' ' But nobody paid attention to me. Finally, 
some mounted men overtook us, one or two of the horses 
fell, and this stopped the rest. 

Now, thinking the matter over, the course that I then 
suggested is what I still consider would have been the 



Personal 9 

best thing for a revolver shot to do under the circum- 
stances. Had he lowered the front window and broken 
the backs of the prestashki (outside horses) , these would 
have dragged their hind quarters under the front wheels 
and so stopped the carriage without upsetting it. He 
would then have had time to kill other of the horses if 
necessary. 







d 




• 


S^k 










jjflTi^hL 




_. r- - - ^ 


KuM%~- f T 








®^ c. 


^NH^ 


^ 



THE AUTHOR WITH HIS CAT " MATTY " 



CHAPTER III 



EVOLUTION OF THE REVOLVER 




HE single-shot pistol, as soon as 
rifling and the copper cap 
were invented, quickly at- 
tained great accuracy. In 
fact the modern duelling 
pistol, the most accurate up 
to the present time of large 
calibre pistols, is practi- 
cally identical with the Joe 
Manton pistol, though the 
revolver is still being improved upon. For accuracy it is 
to-day ahead of automatic pistols. The revolver is by no 
means the embodiment of a modern idea; some of the very 
earliest firearms involved the principle of a revolving 
cylinder or of revolving barrels, but none was practicable 
with flint-, wheel-, or match-locks. The introduction 
of the copper cap enabled Colonel Colt to make the first 
practical revolving pistol, and "fixed" ammunition made 
possible the production of breech-loading revolvers. 

There have been a few attempts to improve on the re- 
volver by going back to modifications of the old "pepper- 
box," or many-barrelled pistol, but the mechanical 



10 



Evolution of the Revolver 



ii 



difficulties of making so many barrels shoot "together" 
do not hold out much hope of success in that direction. 
Before Colonel Colt took up the problem of designing a 
practical revolver, many such attempts had been made 
on wrong lines, and even the purpose of a revolver was 
misunderstood. Even now this is not clearly grasped 




ANCIENT FLINT-LOCK PISTOLS 



by some, for only a few years ago a man gravely 
assured the public, in letters addressed to various news- 
papers, that a revolver was of no use because he did not 
consider that it shot accurately at two hundred yards and 
upwards! Imagine anyone wanting to shoot at such 
distances with a revolver ! Still, up to four hundred yards 
it is possible to hit a "second-class" rifle target. 

Owing to the shortness necessary to make a revolver 



12 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



a portable arm, the barrel cannot be made to shoot as 
accurately as a long rifle-barrel will shoot. Also, owing 
to the sights on a revolver being necessarily so close 
together, at long ranges the accuracy of aim 




VIEW SHOWING BARRELS HALF REVOLVED 1 




BARRELS IN THE FIRING POSITION I 

Colonial flint-and-steel revolver. Age, 170 to 200 years 

attainable with a rifle cannot be Obtained with 
a revolver, even supposing that the barrel of the 
latter could be made to shoot as well as a rifle-barrel. 
Match rifle-shots have, for this reason, their hind-sights 

1 By permission of the Scientific American. 



Evolution of the Revolver 1 3 

placed at the end of the stock instead of on the breech 
end of the barrel, in order to have the sights as far apart as 
possible, while the modern Belgian match pistol, described 




later, is sighted on a somewhat similar principle. The 
adjustable butt shown here is intended to enable the 
revolver to be shot accurately at its extreme limit of 
range. 



H 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



Colonel Colt, however, knew better than to think that 
a revolver should shoot well up to two hundred yards. 
He understood that there was need for a very small, 




compact arm, which could be fired very rapidly for self- 
defence at close quarters, still more at "half-arm distance," 
when a rifle would be useless. The single-shot pistols 
left a man defenceless after he had fired his one shot, 



Evolution of the Revolver 



15 



unless he stuck his belt full of pistols like a stage pirate. 
At first some curious attempts were made to trans- 
form a five- or six-chambered revolver into a ten- or 








^hmsi 




twelve-shot one by loading each chamber twice over; that 
is to say by putting one charge in and then another on the 
top of it. The front charge was fired first, then the one 
behind it, — that is, when the two charges did not go off 



16 Art of Revolver Shooting 

simultaneously and burst the revolver! This naturally 
was found to be an unpractical and a dangerous system ; 
indeed that any sane man could have thought out such 




a combination seems almost incredible. I have often 
found, however, when rummaging among old patents, 
harebrained devices of this nature. I have also seen a 
fourteen-shot revolver with two barrels, one below the 



Evolution of the Revolver 



17 



other, the cylinder having a double set of chambers, the 
inner set for the lower barrel ! ! 

I have had one or two revolvers made with the ' ' saw- 




handle ' ' of the old duelling pistols. I have won with them 
at Bisley and found such stocks very good for deliberate 
shooting, or rather, when only one shot has to be fired. 
But it is necessary to use both hands for cocking, as the 



18 Art of Revolver Shooting 

projection which comes over the fork of the thumb 
prevents one-handed cocking. It would be suitable 
for double-action revolvers. Most likely Colt also 




*"VjSl*, 





EVOLVER 



1 




found this difficulty, and that is the reason for his having 
invented the typical revolver handle, which, with slight 
modifications, is used in most revolvers. A Dutch friend 
of mine invented a very good handle grip for deliberate 



Evolution of the Revolver 



19 



shooting. He put a lump of modelling wax on the handle, 
gripped it hard till it took the impression of his fingers 




EXTENSION STOCK AS APPLIED TO .44 SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVER 

and palm, and then had it cast in metal. It makes a 
very "hot" grip, but this can be partly overcome by- 
having it hollow, open at the bottom, and pierced with 
holes. 





DICK TURPIN's RIDE 



CHAPTER IV 



SELECTING A PISTOL 




O not buy a cheap revolver or 

pistol by an unknown maker. 

Not only is it very dangerous 

to the shooter to use a weapon 

'II ; \ j of the kind, but nobody can 

|» Mfll I make any shooting with it. 

If you do not wish to pay a 
long price for your pistol, 
rather buy a second-hand one 
by a good maker than a new 
one of inferior pattern. It is of importance, however, 
to ascertain that the rifling is still perfect, that is to say 
that it has not suffered deterioration from neglect or 
wear. 

You must first decide for what purpose you want the 
pistol; a "general utility" weapon is of about as much 
use as a hunter that is also a harness horse— not much 
good for either purpose. If you want a hunter, buy an 
Irish one; if a harness horse, get an American trotter. In 
the same way, for whatever purpose you want a pistol, 
buy one, if by any means you can do so, especially for 
that purpose. Anyhow, it is useless to compete with a 



Selecting a Pistol 



21 



short-barrelled pocket revolver, or with an automatic 
pistol, against duelling pistols, .22 single-shot, or target 
revolvers. 



f=\ 




SMITH & WESSON NEW SOLID-FRAME REVOLVERS FOR SMOKELESS POWDER 

The former class of revolver is intended only for self- 
defence at short range, and has no pretensions to accuracy; 
but a good single-shot pistol can beat almost any revolver. 
I should have left out the word "almost" had I not seen 
Ira Paine's Gold Medal score at sixteen metres at 
Gastinne Renette's which beats any single-shot pistol 
score that I have as yet come across. 



22 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



Read the chapter carefully which describes the par- 
ticular purpose for which you want the pistol, and buy 
accordingly. 

I think that six and 
a half inches in the bar- 
rel, exclusive of cylin- 
der, is about the most 





SECTION OF CYL- 



INDER, show- practical length for a 

ING HARDENED 

steel shims, revolver ; of course, a 



SIDE PLATE OF MILITARY 
REVOLVER, SHOWING 
RAISED STEEL BOSSES 



UNFINISHED 



longer barrel theoretically gives greater 
accuracy, especially at long range, owing to there being 
more length to burn the powder in, also owing to the 




ENGRAVED .38 SMITH & WESSON 



sights being set farther apart,— the last-named feature 
minimises error in aiming. This advantage, however, 




ENGRAVED RUSSIAN MODEL, SMITH & WESSON 



is more than counterbalanced by its making the revolver 



Selecting a Pistol 2 3 

heavy at the muzzle, in consequence of which it must 
balance badly. The duelling pistol has the barrel fluted 
forward, which allows the barrel to be twelve inches long 
and yet balance well, and the fourteen-inch size pistol 
projects backward over the hand and thus balances. 
The balance ought in every case to be as near the trigger 
as possible. For a pocket revolver, a short barrel may 
be an absolute necessity for portability. At Bisley some 
men use very long barrels, and I believe seven-and-a-half- 
inch barrels are not unusual in their revolvers; but I 
prefer six and a quarter inches, exclusive of chamber, 
and I do not consider — although the Bisley rules allow 
it — that anything over that length in the barrel is a 
"Military" revolver or should be permitted to be used 
in military competitions. 

See that the trigger-pull is "sweet," and that it has 
no "drag." Also, have your trigger-pull not over four 
and a half pounds. The pull is often left very heavy, 
so as to be alterable to suit customers, and the shopman 
may forget to have this altered. If you are not hampered 
by rules, about three or three and a half pounds is the 
best trigger-pull for general purposes. Have the thumb- 
piece of the hammer slightly roughed to prevent slipping. 
For rapid cocking, a rather long thumb-piece is an ad- 
vantage, if it is a single-action revolver. But revolvers 
are now made with such good double action that the latter 
is preferable except for extreme accuracy. 

I disliked a double-action revolver, except for a 
pocket revolver, as with the older makes one could not 
do accurate shooting when cocking with the trigger; but 



2 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

the Smith & Wesson double-action .38 Military shoots 
very well, and with the French regulation revolver, with 
the former action, I have put the six shots in a two- 




ELABORATELY CARVED REVOLVERS 

Owned by the Author 



and-a-quarter-inch space at twenty-five metres in 
twelve seconds. 

For a man whose hands are apt to get moist, 
roughing the trigger may prevent its slipping. It 
will, however, also make the finger sore if roughed 



Selecting a Pistol 2 5 

too sharp; it can be covered with rubber with ad- 
vantage. 

Some pistols have too narrow a trigger, almost like a 
piece of wire. A wide, spoon-shaped trigger is best, as 
less likely to cut the ringer, especially with the regulation 
English heavy trigger-pull. 

Get a pistol which, when you grip the stock properly, 
has the barrel and your arm as nearly in a horizontal line 
as possible. Many makes of revolvers, and all the auto- 
matic pistols so far produced, have the stock much below 
the level of the barrel, and the chambers and barrel are, 
consequently, far above the hand. This makes shooting 
more difficult; you are apt to cant the weapon to one side, 
and the recoil is more severe on your wrist. The French 
duelling pistol has the handle ideally placed, which 
makes it much easier to shoot than the average revolver. 
Most of the .22 calibre single-shot pistols have the 
trigger too near the hand. Do not get a revolver with a 
big stock, "specially made for the English market." 
These big stocks spoil the balance, and are clumsy. A 
man who holds a revolver properly does not need a big 
stock, even if he has a big hand. 

Writing of revolvers reminds me of an incident that is 
said to have occurred during the Franco-Prussian war, 
showing the advantage of a revolver over a sword in 
battle. 

A French cavalry soldier during a melee with Prussian 
cavalry kept several of the latter's troopers at bay by 
pointing his revolver at them in turn, although the re- 
volver was empty, the cartridges it contained having all 



26 Art of Revolver Shooting 

been discharged. Then, thinking he would be safer with 
a sword than with an empty revolver, he suddenly threw 
away the latter and drew his sword, with the result that 
he was at once cut down by the nearest Prussian. 




SMITH & WESSON .44 DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER 

On page 27 are given illustrations of the four principal 
makes of revolvers : Smith & Wesson (" Winans' Model ") , 
"Bislcy" Colt, "Target" Webley, and Smith & Wesson 
double-action Military. 

I won my championships the first few years with a . 45 
double-action cavalry Colt, using Eley's .45 black 
powder ammunition. Since then I have shot with the 




THE FOUR PRINCIPAL REVOLVERS : SMITH & WESSON (" WINANS 

MODEL "), " BISLEY " COLT, " TARGET " WEI3LEY, AND SMITH 

& WESSON MILITARY. 



27 



28 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Smith & Wesson revolvers, either the . 44 calibre Russian 
Model, the .45 Winans' Model, the .32 and .38 calibre 
in Russian Model frame, the .38 Military double-action 
Smith & Wesson, and the Dutch and the French army- 
revolvers. The first I use with gallery ammunition, 
U. M. C. cartridges, French revolver powder, as my 
sixteen-metres, twenty-five-metres, and twenty-yards 
"Any" or target revolver; the same revolver with full 
charge as " Military" for fifty yards; the Winans' Model 
sometimes both as "Military" and "Any" alternative 
revolver at twenty or fifty yards, the .32 being my 
fifty-yards "Any" revolver; the .38 Military Smith & 
Wesson for rapid firing in the French Competitions at 
twenty-five metres, and the Dutch for competing at 
thirty metres in that country. 

One of the reasons why the Smith & Wesson revolver 
is so accurate is because so much care is taken by the 
makers to have cylinder and barrel in perfect alignment ; 
and it is not too much to say that I have never shot any 
revolver of any other make which I can so safely trust not 
to give me a wild shot. 

To secure this result, the stop and stop -notch, which 
arrest the momentum of the cylinder and hold it in position 
during discharge, play the most important part. In all 
cheap revolvers the notches are made in the soft steel of 
the cylinder, and in consequence these notches soon wear, 
putting the alignment out, which prevents accuracy. 
When the notch gets too much worn, this makes firing the 
revolver even a positive danger. In the Smith & Wesson 
revolver this is obviated by a piece of hard steel being 



Selecting a Pistol 



29 



fitted into the side of the notch which comes in contact 
with the stop when the motion of the cylinder is checked. 
This is a special patent of the firm. 




SMITH & WESSON MILITARY REVOLVERS 



This make of revolver also has steel bosses, or collars 
fitted into the frame, to keep the hammer, trigger, 
etc., from coming in contact with the sides of the frame. 
Lately this firm have an additional arrangement for secur- 



3° Art of Revolver Shooting 

ing perfect concentric joining of the bore of the chamber 
and barrel. 

I merely designed the Winans' Model revolver to suit 
former Bisley rules as to " Military " revolvers, and would 
have used the Russian Model in preference, had the rules 
permitted; but the Russian and United States army 
revolvers were not considered " Military " revolvers by 
those rules. 

Ornamentation in a revolver is a matter of taste. 
Personally, I prefer my "tools" to be as plain as possible, 
without any engraving. All projecting screw-heads, etc., 
should be filed down flat to prevent their chafing the 
hand; the trigger and thumb -piece of the hammer may 
also be cross-filed to prevent slipping, butnotfiled" sharp" 
enough to make one's thumb or finger sore; and I prefer 
a chequered rubber stock. 

I have my revolvers gold-, silver-, or copper-plated 
all over, not for show, but to prevent a man's using one 
of mine and saying, "So sorry — thought it was mine, 
don't you know!" if in a competition I inadvertently 
leave a revolver of mine on the firing ledge. 

By having the colour of the plating varied, you know 
at a glance if you have the right revolver for the par- 
ticular work in hand: your "gold" for twenty yards; 
"copper" for rapid firing; "silver" for fifty yards, and 
so on. 

For rough work, and in strong sunlight, a revolver 
is best blued. I temporarily paint the rib, etc., with 
"sight black," when competing on sunny days. The 
pearl stocks, though looking slippery, really give one a 



Selecting a Pistol 3 1 

very good hold; when one's hand gets warm they stick 
to the skin as if they were resined. Ira Paine always 
used pearl stocks. 

The most ornamental revolver I have ever seen is the 
one shown in the lower illustration on page 24, which 
was presented to me. It is in silver and carved ivory, 
decorated by Tiffany, and was the main attraction in the 
Revolver Section of the Chicago Exhibition. It is, I 
believe, the most costly revolver that has yet been made. 
The other has a silver handle bearing deer-heads modelled 
by myself, the screw-heads forming the eyes of the deer. 

I also have a very artistic pair of revolver "stock- 
plates." These I had made in ivory and sent to Japan 
to be inlaid with gold and coloured stones. I left the 
design to the native artist, and he put a Japanese hawk- 
ing scene on one, and on the other a picture of duck- 
shooting with bow and arrow. 

Of single-shot pistols by far the best, though also the 
most expensive, is the Gastinne - Renette, a .44 calibre 
muzzle-loading duelling pistol, shooting a round ball and 
French smokeless powder. The same makers' .22 calibre 
single-shot pistol, the Stevens, and Leeson .22 are also 
very good. They are described in later chapters. 

Of course, the revolver in its present form will have 
to give place to something better. I rather think the 
multi-shot pistol of the future will be on the revolver 
principle, but with a means of making a tight joint, at the 
moment of firing, between the cylinder and the barrel; 
or that the cartridge will be automatically pushed out 
of the cylinder into the barrel and fired from there ; also 



3 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

that the cartridges, containing some condensed powder, 
will be much shorter, so that the cylinder can also be 
shortened. Likewise the cocking and the cylinder- 
revolving will be done automatically by the recoil. 

In prices revolvers vary greatly. The Smith & 
Wesson costs about £5. The Webley solid frame 
averages £3 in blue, and £3.ios. in nickel. The "Ex- 
tractor," Mark III., .38, by the same makers, comes 
to £4. 1 6s. Morris Tubes for revolvers (not less than 
.320) costs from £1. 5s. 6d. to £1. 10s. 6d. The Morris 
Tube Co.'s Trajectory Target (steel, for fifty yards) 
costs £3. 3s., and their Safety Mantlet (7 feet x 3 x 3) 
costs £10, and Butt (7 feet x 3) £2. 10s. 




CHAPTER V 



AMMUNITION 




?p^»^o 



Y aim throughout this work is 
to make the book as com- 
plete as possible on the sub- 
ject of pistols, — single-shot 
pistols, revolvers, and auto- 
matic repeating pistols. 

It was my original in- 
tention to give illustrations 
and minute descriptions of 
all modern pistols and am- 
munition, taking both black and smokeless powders; but 
I found that this would tend to make the chapters on 
pistols and ammunition resemble gunmakers' catalogues. 
Therefore I illustrate only typical instances, and those 
pistols and ammunition with which I have won prizes 
and that, having used constantly, I know to be good. 

Revolver ammunition is usually made in the following 
calibres: .32, .38, .41, .44, .45, .455, and .457. Most of 
these can be had loaded with various smokeless powders, 
as King's semi-smokeless, Rirlite, Cordite, Walsrode, 
French Revolver, etc. 

The Union Metallic Cartridge Company, U. S. A., 
3 33 



34 Art of Revolver Shooting 

have supplied me with great quantities of .44 "gallery 
ammunition," loaded with both round and semi-round 
bullets. These have a small charge of black powder, 
and I preferred this ammunition out of a Smith & Wesson 
Russian Model revolver for self-defence, as well as for 
competitions up to twenty-five yards, and I found it the 
most accurate of any for exhibition shooting. I believe 



■ 32-.44 is a special target 
cartridge, containing II 
grs. of powder and 83 grs. 
of lead. Bullet seated even with mouth 
of shell. Penetration, 5 J^-in. pine boards. 
Gallery charge, 6 grs. of powder and 50 
gr. round ball loaded in same shell. 



,38--44 is also a spec- 
ial target cartridge, 
containing 20 grs. of 
powder and 146 of lead, either self-lubri- 
cating or grooved bullet. Bullet is seated 
even with mouth of shell. Penetration, 
6 ^-iri. pine boards. Gallery charge, 
6 grs. of powder and 70 gr. round ball 
loaded in same shell. 



Ill WINCH£5 T EP. ' . I 



.3S Winchesterrifle 
cartridge, contain- 
ing 40 grs. of pow- 
der and 180 grs. of lead. Penetration, 
7 ^j-in. pine boards. 



.44 Russian Model 
is a cartridge for 
long - range target 
work. It contains 23 grs. of powder and 
256 grs. of lead. Bullets are either self- 
lubricating or the regular grooved. Pen- 
etration, lYz ^i-in. pine boards. Gallery 
charge, 7 grs. of powder and no gr. 
round ball loaded in same shell. 



.44 Winchester is 
the regular model 
73 Winchester rifle 
cartridge, and contains 40 grs. of powder 
and 217 grains of lead. Penetration, 6^ 
J^-in. pine boards. 



.-f-^ 



.450 cartridge contains 
13 grs. of powder and 
226 grs. of lead. Eng- 
lish or American cartridges can be used. 



most professional stage- shooters use it for revolvers and 
the .22 shot for single-shot Stevens pistols. I now have 
found an even better load, which is the French smoke- 
less powder. This does not foul, or lead, and one can 
shoot hundreds of shots without cleaning. I only use 
that now in U. M. C. shells for the .44 Smith & Wesson 
and the .38 Army Model Smith & Wesson revolvers. 



Ammunition 



35 



I suppose the various English makers of ammunition 
could supply "gallery" charges in any of their various 
calibre cartridges, but I know of none and should not 
advise the beginner to try loading this sort of ammu- 
nition in English cartridge-cases for himself. The dome 
of the cap is generally higher than in American cartridges ■ 
if, therefore, a very small quantity of powder be put in 
the case and the bullet pressed down, the bullet will come 
down on the dome, stop up the flash hole, and cause a 
misfire. The way to obviate this is to take a wad of 



ft ^^^^^^. j 

Powder, 5 gr. ; bullet, 

40 gr. ; exact cal., 

0.223 



Powder, 3 gr.; bullet, 

30 gr. ; exact cal. 

0.223. 



| 5 :i 2 w. 



Powder, 10 gr. ; bullet, 

88 gr.; exact cal., 

0.313- 




Powder, 13 gr.; bullet, 1 00 gr. ; 
' exact cal., 0.313. 



=32 GObfT': 
'■NEW' POLICE. 



Powder, 13 gr. ; bullet, 100 gr. 
exact cal., 0.313. 



suitable calibre, make a hole in the centre, and push the 
wad down to the bottom of the cartridge before putting 
in the powder, so as to fill up the base of the cartridge 
and let the bullet "seat" on the powder, higher than the 
dome. Makers can do this properly, but an amateur 
may put the wad in too loosely, and a grain or so of 
powder may get under the wad. The result would be 
that, on the shot being fired, the wad would be driven 
half-way up the barrel, and might at the next shot cause 
an accident. 



36 



Art of Revolver Shooting 




Be sure to use only low-pressure powder, if you use 

smokeless, as high-pressure 

powders are dangerous in a 

revolver. 

The .38 smith & Wesson special Many people do not un- 

con tains 21 % grains of black pow- ^erstand this difference in 

der and 158-grain solid base _ . 

bullet. Penetration, eight and powder pressure, and injure 

one-half "s-inch pine boards. This ^ revolyers b experiment- 

is a very powerful charge and ex- J 

trcmely accurate. Gallery charge [ n g with what become practic- 

6 grains of powder and 70-grain . ,, - f 

round ball loaded in same shell. ally "blasting instead of 

propelling charges. 
For the twenty-yards "Military" competitions at 
Bisley , in which one is not allowed 
to use less than thirteen grains of 
black powder (or its equivalent 
in muzzle velocity of smokeless), 
and 2163^ grs. of lead in the bullet, 
or less than .45 calibre, I have used 
Eley's .45 black powder cartridges 
and the Union Metallic Cartridge 
Company's similar ammunition in 
most of my competitions. I think 




The regular .38 United 
States service cartridge (listed 
as .38 long Colt) is used in 
the same revolver and is very 
accurate, but not so powerful 
as the special. It contains 
18 grains of black powder 
and 150-grain hollow base 
bullet. Penetration, six and 
one-half Ji-'mch pine boards. 




the Union Metallic Company's 

gives rather less recoil and 

The .32 Winchester is the reg- fewer " unaccountables " than 

ular Winchester repcating-riflc . , T 

cartridge. It is very accurate and the English equivalent ; 1 SUp- 

powerful and gives good results 

up to 200 yards. It contains 20 

grains of black powder and 115- 

grain bullet. Penetration, six and 

one-half ^-inch pine boards. 



to the use of it. 



pose it has a slower-burning 
powder. That is why, of late 
years, I have confined myself 
They also load these cartridges with 



Ammunition 



37 



King's semi-smokeless powder, which I have used, and 
with which I have made my "bests-on--record" in the 





CUT SHOWING DETAILS OF 
CONSTRUCTION 

complete self-lubricating A, Lubricant; B, Plunger; C, Ducts; 

cartridge D, Metal Lining 

Explanation. — At the moment of explosion, the lead plunger (B), being 
driven forward, forces the lubricant contained in the cavity (A) out through the 
ducts (C) in front of the bullet, and at a point most effective. 

The ducts being completely closed by the plunger, all escape of gas and loss of 
force is consequently prevented. 

rapid-firing competitions at twenty yards. At twenty- 
five metres my record score made in Paris, April 6th 
1909, was with French smokeless powder in U. M. C. 
shells, and at thirty me- j - 1 

tres with Dutch smokeless, 
and for the fifty-yards com- 
petitions I have used these 
two makes of .45 calibre 
ammunition (with black 
powder) ; but my ' ' best- 
on-record" scores at this 
distance were made with 
the Union Metallic Car- 
tridge Company's .44 calibre 
and .32 calibre cartridges, L - 
loaded respectively with twenty-three and twenty-six 
grains of black powder, with the Smith & Wesson "Self- 
lubricating bullet." 



f'MBWHWfc 




3 8 Art of Revolver Shooting 

I have also done very good shooting with the ordinary 
Union Metallic Cartridge Company's .44 Russian Model 
ammunition, twenty-three grains of black powder, and an 
ordinary bullet. 

I find that in competing at fifty yards one must, if 
physically strong enough to stand it, shoot a big charge 




AUTOMATIC SHELL EXTRACTOR AS APPLIED TO ALL JOINTED FRAME 
MODELS OF THE SMITH & WESSON REVOLVERS 

in the larger calibre revolvers to get the greatest accuracy; 
with a .22 calibre single-shot pistol this is not necessary. 
The charge of twenty-three grains of black powder has 
a very heavy recoil, heavier than the English army .457 
ammunition. I do not think that any other competitor 
at Bisley uses such a heavy load. The .32 with eleven 
grains powder charge has not an unpleasant recoil. It is 



Ammunition 



39 



not nearly as heavy in the .32 Smith & Wesson Russian 
Model (.44 "frame," .32 calibre) as the .45 with thirteen 
grains powder in a .45 calibre, and is venr accurate at fifty 
yards; but by the Bisley rules it cannot be used in 
"Military Revolver" competitions, though it is allowed 
in Continental military competitions. The solid frame 
Smith & Wesson revolvers with smokeless powder are an 




RELOADING TOOLS 



improvement on their old black powder "break-down" 
models. 

Never use any ammunition different from that recom- 
mended by the makers of the particular revolver you are 
using, without consulting them. I have had several 
narrow escapes (in one case having a bullet stop half-way 
in the barrel) when experimenting with various powders 
suitable for rifles but not for revolvers. 



4° Art of Revolver Shooting 

The new model Smith & Wesson cartridge with "Self- 
lubricating bullet" (see diagram) is specially designed 
to prevent fouling and so do away with the necessity 
of constantly cleaning a revolver whilst shooting black 
powder. The bullet is self-lubricating, instead of carry- 
ing its lubricant in canilures. In this bullet a better 
lubricant is used (or perhaps it lubricates better) than 
that which can be held in canilures; and it is forced by 
the explosion into the grooves of the barrel in front of, 
instead of behind, the bullet. This is, of course, the 
more correct principle, for the bullet, being smooth with- 
out any canilure, gets an easier bearing on the rifling. 
It is made in regular .32, .38, and .44 calibres, also in 
.32 long, and special .38. Bullets are also sold separately. 
I made my record at Bisley at fifty yards with this bullet 
and twenty-three grains black powder. 

Messrs. Smith & Wesson do not guarantee their 
"break-down" action revolvers. They guarantee their 
new solid-frame revolvers when used with smokeless 
powder (smokeless powder cartridges are now made for 
the .44 Russian Model revolver) and I would warn my 
readers to be very careful when trying experiments with 
such powders in revolvers ; to use only those recommended 
by the makers of the revolver used ; and not to try loading 
them themselves. Such powders also need special primers 
and pressures. The French smokeless powder I consider 
the best of all for gallery ammunition, and you can shoot 
hundreds of shots without cleaning. Moreover in a 
double-action it does not jam the revolver as powders do 
which foul more. 



Ammtmiiioii 



41 



The average cost of revolver ammunition is 2S. 6d. 
for fifty cartridges. Kynoch's solid-drawn brass car- 
tridges (for Smith & Wesson and Webley revolvers) run 
to about £2. 15s. a thousand for .44; £2. 7s. 6d for .38; 
and £1. 1 6s. 8d. for .32. 





CHAPTER VI 
CLEANING AND CARE OF WEAPONS 

LWAYS clean your pistol the 
moment you have finished 
shooting. If you leave it over 
till the next day you may as well 
throw it away as expect to win 
prizes with it. 

The larger the calibre, the 
easier it is to clean and the less 
chance is there of spoiling the 
rifling by jamming the rod in 
it. I prefer wooden rods as less apt to spoil the rifling, 
but the very narrow calibres require a metal rod (soft 
metal for preference) , as the wood would have to be too 
thin, and would be liable to break in the bore. 

Clean from the breech, not from the muzzle end, ex- 
cept of course the muzzle-loading duelling pistol; the 
last fraction of an inch at the muzzle is where the rifling, 
if damaged, spoils the shooting most. For the same 
reason it is as well to have the rifling "reamed off " at the 
mouth of the muzzle so that the edge of it is protected. 
If you use nitro-powders, examine the interior of your 
barrel at frequent intervals after cleaning, to see if there 
is any damage going on. 

42 



Cleaning and Care of Weapons 43 

Use the cleaning fluids recommended for the particular 
powder you are using, as what may be good for one powder 
is of no use for another. I use Hillias' cleaning fluid, 
finishing up with Marlin gun-grease, but there are special 
mixtures for cleaning after using cordite. Where nickel- 
covered bullets are used a special chemical dissolves the 
nickel left in the barrel. 

The great thing is to clean thoroughly. I use cotton- 
wool of the best quality rather than tow, and I do not 
use boiling water unless in very exceptional cases, for fear 
of overlooking a spot in drying, and getting rust in con- 
sequence. If necessary to use water to remove fouling, 
let it be as hot as possible. 

Do not try to oil the lock, or put it right ; send it 
occasionally to the maker to be seen to. It is also well 
to have a cleaning kit with wooden, not metal (except for 
calibres of .32 or less) cleaning rods, cotton-wool, cleaning 
fluids, screw-drivers, etc., all in proper compartments, 
and put back when used. See that the cotton-wool is 
absolutely dry and clean before using it. Throw away 
such pieces as are used. " Selvit " cut to proper size 
like shot-gun wads is a good finish to push through the 
barrel. Do not use too big a piece on your rod, such as 
would get the latter jammed in the barrel, as you may 
ruin the shooting qualities of the barrel by using force 
to remove it. Have the cleaning rods long enough or 
you may bark your knuckles. 

I also do not like the cardboard cases in which Ameri- 
can pistols are usually packed, for permanent use ; they 
are not strong enough and are apt to injure the sights, 



44 Art of Revolver Shooting 

especially fine sights. A holster, again, is not the thing 
in which to keep a revolver habitually, as the sights get 
knocked about; also if the holster is used out-of-doors it 
gets damp inside and rusts the weapon. Great care should 
always be taken to see that the holster is absolutely dry in- 
side before placing a revolver therein. To dry the inside 
of a holster, make some oats very hot in a saucepan, and fill 
the holster with them, emptying them out when cold. 
Some Amercian holsters are made of india-rubber, to 
prevent perspiration from the body rusting the revolver, 
but such are very liable to retain dampness inside. The 
holster which I prefer (for wearing, and not as a pistol-case) 
is a cowboy holster, without any button to the flap. If 
you fasten the flap, you cannot get the pistol out in a 
hurry. A lining of rabbit fur is useful to keep out sand 
or dust. 

My pistol-cases are good, strong, and solid, made of 
leather, with brass corners like gun-cases. Each case 
holds four, placed either side by side, each pistol in its 
own compartment, or, with a tray, two in the tray and 
two below. If you have only two, they can be put in a 
case without this upper tray, or the tray can be used for 
cartridges. Under all circumstances use a good lock, — 
not the sort that any key fits, — keep the case locked, and 
wear the key on your watch-chain so that you may be sure 
nobody will be able to get at it. Keep the case in a dry 
place, and look at the pistols occasionally, when they are 
not in constant use, to see that they are not rusting. 

Keep your cartridges, if not in the same case as the 
revolvers, locked in a good leather case. This may be 



Cleaning and Care of Weapons 45 

fitted with compartments for various calibres and loads. 
The word "loaded" may with advantage be inscribed 
inside the lid of the pistol-cases. People then feel less 
encouragement to meddle with the contents. 







CHAPTER VII 



SIGHTS 




TGHTS are made in many forms. Some 
suit one man best; others another. 
You cannot decide which suits your 
individual case without trying each 
sort for yourself. 

When you find one form which 
suits you, it is a pity to risk spoiling 
your shooting by changing to others; 
a beginner should never do so, or he 
will get into an uncertain way of taking his sights, 
instead of using always the same, the only way to make 
reliable, consistent shooting. Of course, all your sights 
may be of no use if you are going to shoot in a com- 
petition, owing to the authorities making some new rule 
as to "fit for rough usage." In such a case it will be 
necessary for you to shoot with whatever sights are 
allowed by the rules. 

My patent sight has, so far, complied with every 
rule, and it can be used even for hammering nails and yet 
not surfer damage. 

The main point is to have a front sight that is at once 

easily seen, and of which you see each time the same 

4 6 



Sights 



47 



amount, and not more at one time than at another. Un- 
less this is the case you cannot keep your elevation. 

Also the "U" in the back sight should have bevelled 
edges, in order to give a sharp edge; otherwise it looks 
"woolly." 

Again, if you are not able to see daylight each side 
of the front sight when it is in the "U," you cannot be 
sure that you are not covering, on one side or the other, 



Side view End view 

ELEVATING REAR-SIGHT 



Side view End view 

" PAINE " FRONT SIGHT 

^ i 



Side view End view Side view End view 

ELEVATING REAR-SIGHT FRONT SIGHT 



End view of rear 
target sight 




Side view of front 
target sight 

TARGET SIGHTS 



Front Rear 

LYMAN SIGHTS 



part of the front sight. Consequently you cannot tell 
whether your aim is or is not in horizontal axis with your 
barrel. 

The reason I prefer a "U"- to a "V "-shaped notch in 
the hind sight is because in the "V" you do not see this 
daylight so well. 

The greater distance between the pistol hind-sight and 
the eye enables a man with normal power of vision to shoot 



4 8 . hi of Revolver Shooting 

a pistol without the aid oi spectacles up to a more ad- 
vanced ;>Ki x than is the case with rifle shooting. A healthy 
eye Loses only with age its elasticity or its capacity to 
adjust the focus to near objects. A rifle hind-sight is 

oi course very near the eye by comparison with the 
distance of a pistol hind-sight when the arm is at full 
stretch. 

The same principle is involved when an elderly man 
has to hold a newspaper a long way from his eyes if he 
wants to read without glasses. 1 know several men who 
have come to need glasses for reading, who yet do not need 
them for pistol shooting. 

As soon as you can shoot well enough to know whether 
bad shots arc the fault of the sighting of the pistol, or 
oi your own holding, you can sight the pistol properly for 
yourself; and in this way you can do the sighting much 
more accurately, and with greater nicety, than by taking 
the weapon to a. gunmaker and saying: "Alter the sights 
to shoot three inches higher, and two inches to the left 
at twenty yards, open the 'U ' a little," and so on. In- 
stead, have front and hind sights made oi horn, (put 
in temporarily A without any "U" in the hind sight, and 
set both hind and front sights a little higher than you 
think necessary. Then go to the range with your pistol, 
ami take with you files oi various sizes, including some 
that arc round. Make a slight "U" in the measured 
centre of the top edge oi the back sight. Shoot a few- 
shots at the range you want to sight for -taking care 
that you do not shoot right over the top of the butt, 
owing to being sighted too high and then keep working 



Sights 49 

with the files, first at one sight, thou at the other, until 
you get both approximately right. 

Do not cut the "U" down too close to the barrel, for 
if you do it will give you a "blurry " aim, especially when 
the barrel gets hot. If you find you shoot too high owing 
to the "U" not being cut down, rather than file the "U" 
unduly low take out the front sight and put in a higher 
one. The French duelling pistol has very low sights, 
and the front one is a stalkless bead, like the sight of a 
shot-gun, according to French rules these must not be 
altered or painted. For rapid firing this sort of sighting 
is very good till the barrel gets hot. 

When filing, remember the following points: 

First, filing the bottom of the "U" makes you shoot 
lower. 

Secondly, filing the top of the front sight makes you 
shoot higher. 

Thirdly, filing the side of the "U" or the front sight 
makes you shoot towards the side you have filed. 

Therefore by filing only a very little at a time where 
filing is needed you can gradually get your sighting perfect. 
I repeat, be sure to file only a very little at a time, or you 
will overdo it. As in sculpture, you can easily remove, but 
you cannot replace. If you do remove too much any- 
where you may be able to counteract the fault by filing so 
as to alter the direction of the aim. For instance, you have 
been shooting too much to the right. This you can correct 
by filing the left of the front sight, or the left of the " U, " 
— whichever makes the more symmetrical job, — but if, 
in doing so, you make the front sight too small or too 



5° Art of Revolver Shooting 

narrow, or the "U" too wide, the only thing left to be 
done is to put in a new front or hind sight as the case 
may be, and then begin shooting and filing again. 

When you have got the sighting perfect, work carefully 




SPECIAL TARGET SIGHTS 



with your file (taking great care not to spoil the edge of 
the "U" nearest to the eye when aiming), and give a 
chamfered or bevelled edge to the far side of the "U," 
so that it has a knife-edge. This is to make the "U" 



Sights 5 1 



look clear and yet allow the back sight to be strong. On 
this principle you can let the hind sight be strong, and 
over a quarter of an inch thick, and yet have a nice, clear 
"U." Do not have the "U" deeper than a semicircle. 
If the "U" is too deep it hampers your view of the 
object aimed at. In fact it really should be a semicircle 
and not a "U" at all. You can also file all round the 
front sight, giving it a taper towards the muzzle, but keep- 
ing unaltered the silhouette that you see when aiming, so 
that the outline shall stand out clear to the eye. 

A gunmaker's vise, padded in order that it may not 
injure the weapon held in it, is a useful thing, as it of 
course leaves the operator's two hands free to use the files; 
also it proves convenient to hold the pistols in when 
they are being cleaned. 

I cannot tell you how much you may undercut the 
front sight, assuming you intend to use it on a revolver at 
Bisley, as the rules alter so from year to year. I have an 
undercut bead- sight which in some years was allowed at 
Bisley as a "Military Revolver, " and in other years was 
not. If you are in any doubt as to your weapon's being 
allowed, the best plan is to send it to the Council of the 
National Rifle Association for their approval in plenty 
of time before the Bisley meeting, so that you can alter 
it if it be not passed. 

When you have finished, and have had a final shoot 
in order to make sure that this finishing has not spoilt 
your elevation, etc., send your pistol to the maker and 
ask him to make your sights precisely like your model 
ones, and to fix them permanently on the revolver — 



5 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

without screws if for Bisley use, so as to comply with the 
rules. If when you get the pistol with, these new sights 
the work has been properly done, very little more filing 
will set everything to rights. 

Should you not be shooting at Bisley, or at any of 
those clubs which shoot under Bisley rules, you can, of 
course, get a pistol with Smith & Wesson's "Ira Paine" 
adjustable sights. Carry a miniature folding gilt screw- 
driver and sight-case on your watch chain, as I do, and 
you will then be able to shoot in any light, at any range, 
or in any style of shooting, by merely giving a slight turn 
to the adjusting screws to alter your elevation or direction ; 
or if a sight breaks, or you want one of a different size 
or shape, you will be able to produce one from your 
little case of sights. 

EXTRACTS FROM SPECIFICATION OF WALTER WINANS' 
REVOLVER FRONT-SIGHT 

"Great difficulty has hitherto been experienced in seeing the 
same amount of front sight each time aim is taken, unless the base 
of the sight is sufficiently undercut to form a ' bead sight ' ; such 
undercutting being, however, detrimental, as it weakens the 'sight' 
and renders it very liable to injury, and is not permissible in Bisley 
revolver competitions. The object of my invention is, therefore, 
to overcome this difficulty, and to this end I make the 'sight' 
of metal, horn, wood, or other hard substance, with a strong, wide 
base, preferably of the 'barleycorn' or triangular section. 

"The face of the upper part of the 'sight' facing the marks- 
man (as much of it as it is desirable to see in aiming) is made 
vertical, or inclined slightly towards the marksman, so as to cause 
it to appear black, as it is in shadow. The visible part of the sight 
below the face inclines forward from the marksman, and downward, 



Sights 



53 



so as to reflect the light and enable the face of the sight to be 
at once distinguished by its difference of shade from the lower 
part. It may be polished or plated to assist in reflecting the 
light, while, as a contrast, the vertical face is cross-filed, or 'rough- 
ed,' or may be hollowed out, so as to be in shadow, and give it a 
' dead ' black appearance. 

"In the accompanying drawing I have shown what I consider 
the best means of carrying this out. Fig. I is a side view, full size 



f/g / 




Fic.S 



Fic3i 



& <*> 



F/c4. 



FicS 



Ficd Fic7 




FicV 



WINANS' REVOLVER FRONT-SIGHTS 

of a portion of a revolver barrel fitted with my improved 'front- 
sight.' 

"Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are sections of the barrel at A B, showing 
two forms which the sight may assume in section, one having 
straight sides, the other concave. I show in Figs. 4 and 4*, on a 
larger scale, for the sake of clearness, a side and plan view of the 
sight shown in Fig. 1, and in Fig. 5 a modification of this shape. 
Figs. 6 and 7 are end views, showing two sectional forms of the 
sight, and corresponding in size with Figs. 4 and 5. In Figs. 1 and 
4 it will be seen that a is the vertical face of the sight, which is 



54 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



designed to present a dark appearance to the marksman; and b is 
the polished, inclined surface, which takes a rounded form. In 
the modification, Fig. 5, the face a is slightly inclined towards the 
marksman, and the bright or polished surface b takes the form of 
a flat incline." 




^'^ 



s *r=~ 







CHAPTER VIII 

LEARNING TO USE THE PISTOL 

^ ''T is assumed that you have procured an 
>F\iS*, accurate pistol, properly sighted. 

First, open it, or, if it is a muzzle- 
loader, put in the loading rod and 
note if it goes in to the chamber, to 
make sure that it is unloaded. Always 
do this before handling a pistol. 

Take a bottle of sight-black, and 
paint both sights over with the liquid. 
I have seen men try to compete, even at 
Bisley, with their sights in a shiny state, which made it 
impossible for them to make good shooting on a white 
target with a black "bull." On the Continent the paint- 
ing of sights is not allowed in competitions, and very 
rightly so in my opinion. 

For game shooting, or for military purposes, of course 
a ' ' dead ' ' white (ivory for choice) tip to the front sight 
is preferable, or my patent military front-sight which 
answers the purposes both of a light on dark, or dark on 
light, sight. For the French duelling pistol the front 
sight must be silver, by the regulations, not black. 

With a pistol the first thing to consider is safety. 

55 



5 6 Art of Revolver Shooting 

It is, owing to its shortness, one of the most dangerous of 
firearms to handle. Even an expert must exercise great 
care, whilst in the hands of a beginner or of a careless 
person it may become fearfully dangerous. I have when 




OLYMPIC REGULATION 50 METRES PISTOL TARGET 

teaching men how to shoot had many very narrow escapes 
from being shot. Indeed in some instances it was not 
safe even to be behind them, for they would turn round 
with the pistol at full- cock, and pointing at one, and then 
perhaps ingenuously remark, "I can't understand why 



Learning to Use the Pistol 57 

the thing won't go off; look, I am pulling the trigger 
as hard as I can. " ( !) Then, a safe background is indispens- 
able. Some people think that if the target is fastened to 
the trunk of a tree all must be well, since — so they 
argue — the bullet cannot go through the tree. This may 
be so if the tree be hit, but the bullet will, very likely, go 
past the tree when the beginner fires, or — and this is just 
as dangerous — it may graze the tree and then go off at a 
tangent. Also, in shooting with round bullets, and with 
light gallery ammunition, the bullets may rebound from 
a hard tree and strike the shooter or someone near him. 
This I have seen actually happen. 

I also remember, many years ago, a servant being 
told to take an old Colt house-protection muzzle-loader 
out into the garden, and to empty the chambers there. 
They had been loaded many years, and the weapon needed 
reloading to avoid a possible misfire. He fired only one 
shot, then came back to us limping badly. Asked why 
he had not fired the rest, he replied that he had "no use" 
for another shot. It seemed that he had fired at a 
brick wall, distant only a few feet from him, with the 
result that the bullet had come back and hit him in 
the knee. 

A good background is a high, sandy bank, a thick pile 
of fagots, or, if not closer than fifty yards, a high brick or 
stone wall. The target may be placed fifteen or so yards 
out from the wall in order to prevent any possible danger 
through a bullet's coming back on the shooter, who will 
in any case then be far enough away from the wall for 
safety. If a lot of shooting be done, and many shots hit 



58 Art of Revolver Shooting 

the wall at the same spot, a hole may gradually be made 
in it. This happened in the first year that I shot at 
Wimbledon, when the butt consisted of old "sleepers." 
Iron butts are expensive, especially with the large surface 
required by beginners at twenty yards, for a beginner 
cannot, in my opinion, shoot with safety at a background 
less than twelve feet high and about ten feet wide. Even 
then there should not be anyone within a distance of 
half a mile beyond it, for a novice may let off his pistol by 
accident. Shooting out to sea is safe, if a good lookout 
be kept for boats. The glare from the water, however, is 
not conducive to accurate marksmanship. A sand- or 
a chalk-pit is a good place to shoot in ; also a high chalk 
cliff makes a good, safe background. It is of course 
dangerous to shoot anywhere where people may cross 
unexpectedly. 

A pistol should never under any circumstances be pointed 
in any direction where it would matter if it went off by 
accident. This rule should be observed even with an 
empty pistol, because so many " I-did-not-know-it- 
was-loaded" accidents have already occurred. Any 
child seen to point a firearm, even a toy one, at anybody 
should immediately be given a severe whipping. 

The butt which for years I have used for disappearing 
and stationary targets is an old-fashioned third-class 
iron rifle target, six feet by four, with a sheet of thick 
lead one foot square hung in the middle. It is the latter 
that is struck ; the rest of the butt is there merely in case 
a pistol might be let off unintentionally, say owing to the 
hammer slipping, or some such cause. The bullets, 




THE AUTHOR S SHOOTING POSITION 



59 



60 Art of Revolver Shooting 

burying themselves in the lead, do not splash, and the 
lead falls off in clusters and can beremelted. A beginner, 
however, would not be able to keep all his shots on the 
lead alone, so that a butt of this kind is suitable only for 
a man to use who may be depended upon implicitly, 
even in rapid firing, to place every bullet on the lead 
plate, or, in the event of the pistol's being fired uninten- 
tionally on the iron butt. 

1 n order to make pistol- and rifle-ranges safe, in 1895 
I took out a patent for a safety butt, of which I give 
a diagram. The following is a description of it: — 

\\\ order to diminish the number of ricochets from bullets 
striking the earth short of the target butts, it is usual to build, at 
intervals across the range, walls of turf, so that a bullet dropping 
short of the target will bury itself therein. If, however, a bullet 
grazes the lop of one of these walls, it will ricochet as badly as ever, 
particularly if the turf wall or bank is faced with timber, as is 
sometimes the ease. 

To render the turf walls more efficacious than heretofore, I furnish 
them at their top with a structure from which the bullets will not 
glance so as to be diverted from their course and caused to assume 
a dangerous direction. 

1 apply to t lie summit of the turf walls or banks a line of planking, 
the front of which, towards the firing-point, is perpendicular, while 
the back is chamfered off to a knife-edge at the top. The inclined 
back of this planking is covered with a layer of felt, india-rubber, 
or similar soft material, the edge of which projects above the knife- 
edge of the planking, in a slightly forward direction, towards the 
firing-point. 

In the accompanying drawing 1 have shown, in end view, a 
turf wall furnished, in accordance with my invention, with the 
non-deflecting planking and fell. A is the wall or bank of earth 



Learning to Use the Pistol 6 * 

covered with turf, which will slop all bullets fired in I lie direction 
of the arrow which fairly strike it. B is a, wooden rail or plank 
mounted on the summit of the hank- and having a perpendicular 
face toward the shooters, and an inclined or chamfered back as 













\ ^> ft 31 



IP \ "km 




PATENT SAFETY BUTT 



shown. Cis the strip of felt, india-rubber, or other flexible material, 
attached to the back of the planking B, and projecting slightly 
above the top edge of the said planking in a forward direction. 
In practice, a bullet grazing the top of the turf wall would be 



62 Art of Revolver Shooting 

prevented by the planking from glancing away in a dangerous di- 
rection, although the said planking would not stop its course in the 
direction of the target. In the same way if a bullet touches the 
topmost edge of the planking, the felt or india-rubber will prevent 
an upward ricochet; while the bullet, if merely touching the felt 
or other soft material only, will not be appreciably diverted from 
its course. 

Having got a butt, the learner should take a firm, 
narrow wooden table and place it some ten yards from the 
target. This target is preferably a "Bisley fifty -yards 
target," four-inch bull's-eye. The Bisley cardboard 
targets are cheap, and, by pasting white patches on the 
white, and black on the bull's-eye bullet-holes, one target 
can be used for a long time. I refer to the fifty-yards 
target because this four-inch bull's-eye is very easy to 
hit at ten yards' range. The Bisley revolver ' ' bull's-eyes " 
count, at all ranges, seven points; the concentric rings 
counting one point less, each, till the outermost one, 
which counts two points. The highest possible score, 
therefore, for the six shots is forty-two, or six times seven. 
It is best to shoot at this very big bull at ten yards, as 
making bull's-eyes encourages the beginner. As he be- 
comes more proficient the two-inch twenty-yards "bull" 
can be substituted. This I think preferable to going 
back farther from the target as your skill increases; 
also it is safer, for the nearer the shooter is to the butt, 
the wider his shots would have to be for him to miss it ; 
whereas, if he goes back to fifty yards he may easily 
shoot over a very high butt. 

I am for the moment teaching "bull's-eye" shooting, 



Learning to Use the Pistol 6 3 

but, as I explain in my books on rifle shooting, I consider 
it preferable, if practicable, instead of target shooting 
to shoot at an object which has no bull's-eye. 

Place your empty pistol on the table, the weapon 
lying on its left side with the muzzle towards the target. 
The table is preferably a narrow one, so that during the 
process of loading the pistol the muzzle points to the 
ground beyond the table and not at the table itself, an 
accidental discharge being thus immaterial. A table a 
foot wide is about right ; the length does not matter pro- 
vided the table be long enough to hold your glasses, 
cleaning implements, etc., and cartridges. 

Position. — The position for shooting, which I am 
now going to describe, is one in which I shoot and the 
one which I have found from experience suits me best. 
This position, however, will have to be modified according 
to the build of the shooter (I am five feet ten inches tall, 
and weigh 168 pounds) ; a man stouter or shorter-necked 
than I am, might have to stand more sideways. I 
remember once, on the first day of a Bisley meeting, 
the non-commissioned officer in charge of my target 
saying: "Excuse me, sir, you are standing wrong." 
I said: "What am I doing wrong? Show me." He 
took my revolver — it was empty (I had been merely 
looking along the sights at the target to see if they needed 
blacking) — and showed me the regulation, conventional 
position — right side to the target, right arm bent, head 
and neck bent down to look along the sights, little finger 
under end of stock, etc. The position he showed me not 
only cramps one, strains the eyes (from having to look 



6 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

' ' round the corner ' ' to the right) , and prevents one from 
being able to shoot at moving objects, but in addition 
one is very apt to be hit in the face by the revolver from 
the recoil of a heavy charge. A beginner almost in- 
variably stands in this awkward, sideways position; it 
is also the conventional position with all artists, just as 




HOW TO COCK A REVOLVER 



raising the right arm in jumping a fence (see the right- 
hand figure in tail-piece on page 108). I suppose the 
origin of it is the conventional duelling position — trying 
to give your opponent a narrow target to aim at — but 
this is wrong even for duelling, as I explain in the chapter 
on that subject. From the shape of some men's figures, 
though, I am of opinion that there are men who would 



Learnmg to Use the Pistol 6 5 

present a narrower mark — especially in the region of the 
belt — when facing an enemy! But this is a digression. 

Stand facing the target, the right foot pointing straight 
for the target, or perhaps a shade to the left (if the ground 
be slippery this gives you a firmer foothold) ; the left heel 
distant from six to nine inches to the left of the right 
foot, according to your height (my distance is eight 
inches), and about an inch farther back; the feet turned 
out about as much as is natural to you when standing. 
Nails in the boots, or corrugated rubber, give a firmer 
hold, especially in short, dry grass. 

Stand perfectly upright, not craning your head for- 
ward; the left arm should hang down straight, and close 
to the side, in the position of "Attention." Some people 
bend the left arm and rest the hand on the hip; but I 
think this looks affected, and it is not as workmanlike as 
if the arm hangs straight down. 

If you are trying to "hold" an especially important 
shot, and find yourself wobbling off your aim, it is a 
help to grip your thigh hard with your left hand; this 
especially applies in a gusty wind. 

Now lift the pistol with your right hand (the weapon 
is empty, remember) and cock it. There are two ways 
of cocking: one using both hands and one using only the 
shooting hand. I do not refer to the double-action cock- 
ing by pulling back the trigger for the moment. 

This single-handed cocking is done by putting the 
thumb on the hammer, and by the action of the thumb 
muscles alone bringing it to full-cock. Take particular 
care that the first finger is clear of the trigger, or else 



66 Art of Revolver Shooting 

you will either break or injure the sear notch, or have an 
accidental "let-off." With practice, this way of cocking 
becomes very easy, and can be done with great rapidity. 
I personally can also let the pistol down to half-cock 
(manipulating it with one hand, with the trigger finger 
and thumb) ; but I would not advise a beginner to try 
this, except with an empty pistol, and even then only 
with one that he does not mind the chance of spoiling, 
as he is very apt to break the nose of the sear if he 
bungles it. 

By practice, the thumb and forefinger muscles {abduc- 
tor pollicis and adductor indicis) develop enormously, so 
you need not mind if at first this work of cocking seems dif- 
ficult; but stop as soon as the muscles feel tired, or you 
may strain them. Pistol shooting is good also for the flex- 
ors of the forearm and for the dorsal muscles. A small 
hammer with short "fall" is easiest to cock, as well as to 
make good shooting with, for such a hammer takes less 
time in falling, and the aim is, in consequence, less likely 
to be disturbed. 

The beginner will find that it assists the cocking to 
give the pistol a slight tilt to the right and upwards, 
taking great care to bring it back with the hind sight 
horizontal afterwards, as holding the sights tilted is one 
of the chief causes of bad shooting. 

In double-handed cocking, assist the right hand by 
taking the revolver behind the chambers with the left 
hand, so as not to get burnt if it should go off by accident; 
with a pistol it is handier to grip farther forward; 
keep the barrel horizontal and pointed at the target, not 



Learning to Use the Pistol 6 7 

(if you are competing) towards your left-hand neighbour, 
as is often done; and, while it is thus steadied, cock the 
revolver gently, not with a jerk, bringing the hammer 
well beyond full-cock, so that it sinks back into the bent 
with a well-defined " click," keeping the first finger clear 
of the trigger. 

Now, stand with the pistol in your right hand, just 
back clear of the table; right arm full stretch; thumb 




THE CORRECT WAY TO HOLD A REVOLVER 

stretched out along the revolver (see illustration), but 
the first finger must be outside the trigger-guard (not 
touching the trigger) during this stage. The duelling 
pistol has to be held differently, as will be seen in that 
chapter. 

Some Englishmen shoot with the second finger on the 
trigger and the first along the revolver; but this is a 
clumsy way, and the first finger is apt to be burnt with 
the escape of gas from the cylinder. I have never seen 



68 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



men of any other nation do this. The habit was acquired 
from shooting the Martini rifle, the clumsy "grip" of 
which made this manner of holding necessary. 

The great thing is to have your grip as high as you can 
on the stock, in line with the axis of the barrel, or as near 
this as is practicable. With the Smith & Wesson Russian 
Model I have it is as shown in the diagrams, actually 
in line with the bore- of the barrel. 




THE CORRECT POSITION FOR THE THUMB 



Some American revolvers for the British market often 
have specially long, big handles, or stocks, because of the 
habit (or is it the Regulation Position?) of holding the 
stock low down with the little finger beneath, prevalent 
in England. Now, this sort of position makes the recoil 
come at an angle to the wrist, throws the barrel up at the 
recoil, spoiling the accuracy, and puts more strain on 
the wrist than is necessary. I remember a very strong- 



Learning to Use the Pistol 6 9 

wristed man firing one of my heavily charged fifty-yards 
revolvers and, owing to holding it in this way, spraining 
his wrist at the first shot; yet I have fired hundreds of 
rapid-firing shots straight on end with it without hurting 
myself. I take the recoil just as a man catches a hard- 
thrown ball, letting arm, hand, and wrist fly up all 
together. 

The pistol-barrel, hand, and arm should all be nearly 
in one line, the thumb along the left side, so as to prevent 
jerking to the left in pressing the trigger (in the same 
way as the left arm is fully extended in shooting with 
the shotgun) , and not crooked, as all beginners insist on 
holding it. 

You must be constantly on the watch that you do not 
crook your thumb, until the extended position becomes 
second nature to you. Some makes of revolvers have the 
extractor lever in a position which renders this grip with 
extended thumb impossible, and then it has to be held 
with the "duelling grip." This applies also to most 
double-action revolvers. 

For the benefit of beginners who are not target rifle- 
shots, the following explanation may be necessary. 
The target, for the convenience of locating shot-holes, is 
supposed to represent the face of a clock. The top of 
the bull's-eye (which we term "bull" for brevity) is 
called XII o'clock, as that is, of course, where the numeral 
XII appears on a clock face, and so on for all the other 
numerals : half -past four, for instance, is half-way between 
where the numerals IIII and V appear on a clock. I was 
once shooting in the presence of a German naval officer, 



70 Art of Revolver Shooting 

and, when I made a "half-past four" "bull" shot, he said, 
"South-east," his professional instinct making him 
liken the target to the face of a compass. 

First take a deep breath, and fill your lungs. Now 
slowly bring your right arm to the horizontal, keeping 
your eyes fixed on the bottom edge, — at "six o'clock" of 
the "bull"; whilst you are doing this, put your forefinger 
inside the trigger-guard, and gradually begin to feel the 
trigger and steadily increase the pressure on it straight 
back, not sideways. Whilst you are doing all this, also 
gradually stiffen all your muscles so that you are braced up, 
especially about the right shoulder, as though you were 
walking along the pavement and saw a man coming towards 
you whom you meant to shoulder out of your path. 

You may breathe naturally until the revolver is 
levelled, then hold your breath; if you cannot get your 
aim satisfactorily before you feel you want to take a 
fresh breath, lower the pistol, take a deep breath, and try 
again. If you have followed these instructions carefully, 
you will find, when the hind sight comes to the level of 
your eyes (closing your left eye or not, as you find best, 
without any movement of the head), the front sight will 
be seen through the middle of the "U" pointed at the 
bottom of the bull's-eye, the top of the front sight just 
touching it at "six o'clock." If everything has been 
done perfectly, at the moment this occurs, the pressure 
on the trigger will have been increased sufficiently to 
cause the hammer to fall, and, after it has fallen, you 
will see the top of the front sight still just touching the 
bull's-eye at its bottom edge. 



Learning to Use the Pistol 7* 

If the pistol had been loaded (assuming, of course, that 
it was an accurate-shooting one and properly sighted), 
you would have had a central bull's-eye for your shot. 
Most likely, however, you will find that the pistol came 
up all of a tremble, and that, as the hammer fell, the 
front sight was jerked to one side of the bull and perhaps 
even hidden by the hind sight. 

Do not be discouraged, but cock the pistol and try 
again. By the way, it is best to have a "dummy" 
cartridge or an exploded one in the pistol whilst do- 
ing this "snapping" practice, as otherwise the jar may 
do damage to the pistol and perhaps break the main- 
spring. There are dummy cartridges, made with a rub- 
ber "buffer," for this practice. Preliminary practice with 
the duelling pistol is slightly different, and is explained 
later. 

If you still find your hand shaky (and it is not naturally 
so), it most probably arises from your gripping too hard. 

The action of " letting-off " should be like squeezing 
an orange — a squeeze of the whole hand. Start with a 
light grip when your hand is down, and gradually squeeze 
as you come up, the trigger-finger squeezing back; the ham- 
mer will then fall without your having the least tremor 
and without the sights moving off the point they covered 
during the fall of the hammer. The main thing of all in 
pistol shooting is to squeeze straight back. Whenever you 
find yourself shooting badly, see if you are not ' ' pulling 
off to one side," or snatching; and in nine cases out of 
ten you will discover that this was the cause of your bad 
shooting. 



7 2 Art of Revolve?' Shooting 

Some men can never squeeze the trigger straight back, 
and have to allow for this by getting the hind sight ' ' set 
over" to one side to correct it; but this is a slovenly way 
of shooting, and, as the pull to one side may vary accord- 
ing to the "jumpiness" of the shooter, it prevents his 
being a really first-class shot. 

Keep the hind sight perfectly horizontal ; beginners are 
prone to cant it on one side, which puts the bullet to the 
side towards which you cant. 

After a little practice you will be able to "call" your 
shots, that is to say, you will be able, the moment the 
cartridge explodes, to say where the shot has struck the 
target, as you will know where the sights were pointed 
at the moment of the "squeeze-off." 

After six shots, make a pencil-cross over each bullet- 
hole, so as to know where your former shots hit. After 
twelve hits it is best to take a fresh target. At the end 
of the day's shooting you can cover the holes by pasting 
black patches on the bull's-eye holes and white on the 
rest, and use the target again. 

I will now say why I insist upon the importance of a 
table being set before the shooter. The usual procedure 
for a beginner with the pistol is this: He cocks the pistol, 
using both hands, pointing it at the spectators on his 
left whilst doing so ; he then holds it with his right arm 
close to his side, pointing it towards the ground and at his 
right foot. He then brings it up with a flourish, high 
above his head, and lowers it to the target, jerks the trig- 
ger and "looses off." Of course he does not hit the 
target, but makes a very wild shot. After a few more 



Learning to Use the Pistol 73 

shots on this principle, getting more and more wild, and 
making bigger flourishes with his pistol, he finally lets it 
off by accident whilst his arm is hanging by his side ; and 
he is lucky if he does not make a hole in his right foot. 

I remember a man once telling me (he professed to be 
an expert with the revolver) that I was wrong in keeping 
my revolver pointed in front of me towards the target 
when preparing to shoot. "You ought to hold it like 
this," he said, letting his right arm hang close to his side 
and keeping the revolver pointing downwards; "then it 
is quite safe." At that moment it went off and blew a 
big hole in the ground within an inch of his foot ! 

By my system of having a table in front of the shooter, 
close to which he stands, and from which he lifts the 
revolver, he cannot shoot down into his feet. But he 
must never turn round or leave the table without first 
unloading the revolver and placing it on the table; nor, 
on any account, must he let anyone go up to the target 
or be in front or even get level with him whilst the revolver 
is in his hand. In France one must, by the rules, keep 
the pistol pointed to the ground in competitions and not 
raise it from a table. But one learns not to point it at 
one's foot. 

Now, as to the trick of lifting the revolver above 
one's head before firing: I cannot understand why people 
want to do this. It only frightens spectators; besides 
which the shooter is running the risk of shooting himself 
through the head; and in competitions or in self-defence 
time is too valuable to waste in such antics. What would 
be thought in covert-shooting of a man doing "Indian- 



74 Art of Revolver Shooting 

club exercises" with his gun before firing each shot? 
Just as, when you see a man wet the point of his pencil 
with his lips, you know that he cannot draw, so, if a man 
flourishes his revolver, you may wager that he cannot 
shoot. I have often been asked, "How do you shoot 
your revolver? Do you bring it up or down on your 
object?" I reply: "What is the use of lifting it up above 
your head merely to bring it down again?" For self- 
defence, you take it out of your pocket or holster; in com- 
petitions you take it from the table; in duelling you 
bring it up from your thigh. In all cases it is brought up 
from the level of your hips or lower. Why, then, should 
you lift it above your head and lower it again? No; 
bring it up straight on the object by the shortest and quickest 
route. In a case of self-defence, you would have your 
man down before he had finished flourishing his revolver 
round his head. 

When you are pretty confident that you can keep your 
sights properly aligned at the bottom edge of the bull 
while the hammer is falling, you can try a few shots with a 
loaded pistol. It is best to load only some of the chambers, 
and irregularly if using a revolver, — that is to say spin the 
cylinder round, after the revolver is closed and at half- 
cock, so as not to know which chambers are loaded, and, 
every time you find you jerk off a shot, return to the 
snapping-empty-cartridges practice. This latter is good 
practice, even when you become a finished shot. I often 
have a few minutes of snapping practice in my room. 

Place the box of cartridges beside, and to the right 
of, the pistol. Use only a very small charge (gallery 



Learning to Use the Pistol 75 

ammunition for choice, or the .22 short in the single-shot 
pistol) at first, as nothing puts a beginner off so much as 
the fear of recoil. Stand behind the table, the revolver 
being between you and the target, and take the revolver 
by its stock in the right hand. Do not turn the muzzle 
to the left, but keep it straight towards the target. Put 
the revolver in your left hand, then :oad it. This pro- 
cedure varies with different makes; with the Smith & 
Wesson Russian and Winans revolvers you lift the catch 
with your left thumb and press the barrel down with the 
same hand till it (the barrel) is perpendicular, pointing 
to the ground. With the Colt, and with the Smith & 
Wesson solid frame revolver, you push the catch and then 
push the chamber out to the side. But, whatever the 
mechanism, the barrel should be pointing downward 
when the revolver is open for loading, yet in line with the 
target. 

If a cartridge projects too much, remove it, it is 
dangerous as it may explode prematurely from friction 
against the breech of the revolver. In loading of course 
have the pistol at half-cock, and not at full-cock. Close 
it by elevating the breech with the right hand, and not by 
raising the barrel with the left, as in the latter case the 
cartridges may drop out. This rule applies also to the 
hand-ejecting revolvers; two types of action are here 
illustrated. Another is the Colt solid frame, where a gate 
opens and the cartridges are put in, revolving the cylinder 
as each cartridge is inserted. When this revolver is 
loaded see that the snap, or other fastening, is properly 
closed. If your shot goes wide of the bull, be sure, before 



76 Art of Revolver Shooting 

you alter your aim for the next shot, to ascertain whether 
it was not your "squeeze-off" that was to blame. 

A practised shot can correct the shooting of his revolver 




TWO SYSTEMS OF EJECTING 
SMITH & WESSON 

by "aiming-off" enough to rectify any error in sights. 
But the beginner had better not attempt this: he will find 
enough to do in trying to hold straight under the bull. 

Do not mind if your score is not a high one; those 
who do not understand shooting judge the goodness of 



Learning to Use the Pistol 77 

a score by how much it counts, or by how many shots 
are in or near the bull's-eye. In reality, it is the group 
which constitutes a good shoot. One score may consist of 
the highest possible, — forty-two points (all six shots 
bull's-eyes), — and another may only count twelve points; 
and yet the latter may be by far the better "shoot." 

I will explain. In the first case the shots may be 
"all over" the bull, "nicking" the edges; they would 
require, therefore, a circle of more than four inches (on 
the target you are at present shooting at) to cover them. 
The other score may consist of all six bullet-holes cutting 
into each other at an extreme edge of the target, but 
making a group which could be covered with a postage- 
stamp. The first "shoot" is a wild, bad shoot for ten 
yards' range at a four-inch bull, although it counts the 
highest possible in conventional scoring. The other is a 
magnificent shoot, one that anyone might be proud of; 
the fact of its being up in the corner merely showing that 
the sights were wrong, and the shooter's "holding" was 
not to blame. A few touches of the file, or knocking over 
the hind sight, will put this error right. Never mind, 
therefore, about scoring many points; merely shoot for 
group. You will gradually find your groups getting 
smaller and smaller as you improve; it is then merely a 
matter of filing to get good scoring. 

As your four-inch bull's-eye is too large for real shoot- 
ing at ten yards, you must remember that the sighting of 
the pistol should put the bullets into one inch only in this 
size bull at "VI o'clock," and not into the middle of it. 
The reason is that the trajectory of a pistol is practically 



7 8 Art of Revolver Shooting 

the same at twenty as at ten yards; and, as the English 
regulation bull at twenty yards is two inches, for revolver 
shooting you want the twenty-yards sighted revolver to 
put the shots into the centre of the two-inch bull when you 
aim at the bottom edge. In other words, you want it to 
shoot an inch higher than your aim at that distance. 
Therefore, if with your four-inch "Bull," aiming at the 
bottom edge, you go into the bull one inch up, it means a 
central bull's-eye if shot on a two-inch bull. In France 
an inch bull at sixteen metres is regulation, so, if practising 
for French competitions, the pistol must shoot only half an 
inch into the bull. The reason I recommend aiming at the 
bottom of the bull's-eye instead of at the middle of it is 
that if you try to put a black bead in the middle of a 
black bull's-eye you cannot see either properly; while if 
you whiten the bead of the fore sight you cannot see it 
clearly against the white of the target in "coming up" to 
the bull. Nobody can hold absolutely steady on the bull 
for more than a fraction of a second ; you have to ' ' come 
up" from below and "squeeze off" as you get your sights 
aligned. 

For real shooting — I mean at game, or in self-defence, 
or in war — a white sight is best, as it shows more clearly 
against the objects most likely to be met with. It is for 
this reason that I think white targets are a mistake for 
practical revo ver practice. In France you must use a 
white metal front sight. This is all right on the black 
"man" target, but it is bad for the bull's-eye target. 
The French, however, lay more stress on "real" shooting 
than on target shooting. 



Learning to Use the Pistol 79 

If you want to learn pistol shooting for practical 
purposes only, and do not desire to compete for prizes, 
use, for the foregoing lessons, a black target with a white 
bull's-eye. Use a white front sight, and, as soon as you 
become moderately proficient, take to practising at mov- 
ing, disappearing, rapid-firing, traversing, advancing and 
retiring targets, directions for which I give under their 
proper heads in my Bisley chapters. Take care, however, 
instead of Bisley targets to have black targets with white 
bull's-eyes at first and then dispense with the "bull"' 
and shoot for centre hits, using a white front sight. 

In all your shooting take a full sight in a widely open 
" U," so that you see daylight all round the front sight. This 
is the only way to get quick aim in all lights. A finer 
sight may do for target-potting in bright sunlight, in 
deliberate shooting at a stationary target, but it is useless 
for practical purposes. Unless you want to be a winner of 
prizes for that style of shooting do very little shooting at 
stationary targets. 

It is best to have your cleaning appliances on the table, 
or otherwise handy, as in a drawer, when shooting, and 
every now and again to take a look through the barrel 
and then give the barrel a wipe out ; otherwise you may 
be inclined to attribute to bad shooting what is in reality 
caused by leading or by hard fouling in the barrel. I have 
a little cupboard under my table, with a lock and key to it, 
in which I keep my cleaning apparatus, cartridges, etc. 
(but not the pistol) , in order to save the trouble of carrying 
all this paraphernalia to the range. 

With the French smokeless powder, however, cleaning 



80 Art of Revolver Shooting 

during shooting is unnecessary, though the cylinder of a 
revolver may occasionally need a little oil. 

Always clean a revolver as soon as possible after 
shooting with it, and clean thoroughly. 

A revolver shows signs of wear first at the breech end 
of the barrel, when it gets to look as though rats had been 
gnawing at it there. I am inclined to think that at first 
this makes the revolver shoot "sweeter," but when it 
gets too bad it affects the accuracy of the weapon for 
target work. For real work, I prefer a revolver when it 
is half worn out, as everything then works smoothly and 
there is less dangerof jamming. But rust in the rifling may 
entirely spoil accuracy, as, if you work it off, the bore gets 
enlarged and then the bullets "strip." I never like to 
compete with a perfectly new revolver; all revolvers have 
their peculiarities, and it is necessary to get used to one, 
to "break it in," so to speak, before trusting it to obey 
one's slightest hint. 

Details for target-shooting, in competition, at a fifty- 
yards' stationary target, I treat of in the proper place in 
the Bisley chapters. I do not see much use in practising 
at the regulation four-inch bull at fifty yards for improv- 
ing one's shooting for practical purposes. The bull is 
too small for the accuracy of a revolver and for sighting 
on, and causes one to get slow and "polly"; also fifty 
yards is not a revolver distance, it is a .22 pistol distance. 

When the present Bisley targets were designed (I was 
one of the committee) , it was decided to have a two-inch 
bull at twenty yards. It will be noticed that I have since 
modified my opinion and that I now think it ought to be 



Learning to Use the Pistol 8l 

smaller for a twenty-yards stationary target; but I con- 
sider, nevertheless, that it is about right for moving 
targets. I then suggested five inches as right for the 
bull at fifty yards. It was, however, decided to make 
it four inches, which I thought then, and still think, 
much too small. 

If two inches be right for twenty yards, five inches is 
the rule-of- three proportion for fifty yards. The barrel of 
a revolver is so short, and the sights are so close together, 
that the four-inch bull is too small for the "natural error" 
of holding of even the best of shots. The longer single- 
shot pistol is a different matter, and the strength of the 
shots does not vary from escape of gas at the chambers 
as it does in revolvers. 

For practice at fifty yards and over, for practical pur- 
poses, you should have a white bull on a black ground, six 
or seven inches in diameter at fifty yards, and a foot in 
diameter at a hundred yards. Use the same big, coarse 
sights that you use at the shorter range, and aim high or 
low, according to distance, instead of raising the hind 
sight or using different revolvers sighted for special 
distances. 

At Bisley, owing to the small bull and to the great 
accuracy required, very minute front sights have to be 
used. But I am talking of practical shooting; and at 
fifty yards, and over, a revolver would be used only to hit 
something at least as big as a deer. 

At a hundred yards one ought to get into, or close to, 
a tweve-inch bull. Shooting, of a sort, in the standing 
position has been done up to four hundred yards with a 



82 Art of Revolver Shooting 

heavy-charge revolver ; but at more than a hundred yards 
one cannot depend on much accuracy and can only use 
the revolver for ' ' browning. ' ' I have shot at one-hundred- 
and-ten yards at the "running deer" at Bisley with the 
revolver, but it is too far to do much good. At fifty yards, 
at the "deer," one can do really good shooting and get 
three shots into it in one of its runs. Fifty yards I con- 
sider a good distance at which to make sure of a crossing 
horse, galloping, and one hundred yards for a standing one. 

In all competitions the revolver must be held in one 
hand only, although one sees so-called "dead shots" on 
the stage hold their pistols with both hands. The revolver 
can be held steadier by some people when both hands are 
used, the hand which does not hold the stock being rested 
against a tree, or other rest, and the barrel of the revolver 
clasped to steady it, much as a telescope is held. The 
left hand may also clasp the right wrist, or vice versa. 
Another way is to clasp the shooting arm with the other 
hand and rest the revolver below the biceps muscles ; but 
a heavily charged revolver is apt in this position to strike 
the face. Moreover this style of shooting is about upon 
a par with holding on to a horse's mane, or to the pommel 
of the saddle, and calling it riding. 

Lying on the back and resting the revolver alongside 
one of your knees, the legs being crossed, is a very steady 
position. Sitting down with the arms folded, and shoot- 
ing off one arm, is another steady position. 

Never leave a pistol, loaded or unloaded, where anyone 
can touch it. Keep it locked up, unless actually in your 
own possession. 



Learning to Use the Pistol 8 3 

One of my ornamental revolvers used to lie as a 
decoration on the writing-table in my Bisley hut. Of 
course it was unloaded, and there were no cartridges near. 
Some visitors chanced to drop in, one by one, to lunch. 
First came an elderly lady. She sat down near the table 
and her eye fell on the revolver. Instantly she snatched it 
up, and pointed it straight at me, exclaiming with a laugh, 
"I '11 shoot you!" I made her put it down, and was 
explaining to her how unwise it is to point a revolver at 
anyone, how it might have been loaded, and so on, when 
in came a parson. He sat down and began talking 
pleasantly. Presently he caught sight of the revolver. 
Grabbing it, he shouted: "Now then, I '11 shoot you!" 
and he too pointed it at me, roaring with laughter. 
Carlyle's famous remark about the world's population 
recurred to me, and I decided in future to keep the 
revolver locked up. 

It is sometimes useful to be able to shoot with the left 
hand; as, for instance, if the right hand should become 
disabled, and for an officer with a sword in his right hand 
the advantage would be considerable. If the novice has 
determination enough to divide his practising, from the 
beginning, between both hands, he will come to shoot 
nearly as well with his "left" hand as with his right. I 
have put quotation marks round "left," as I mean by 
this the hand not usually employed; a left-handed man's 
right hand being in this sense his "left." 

I have also noticed that a left-handed man can shoot 
more evenly with both hands; that is to say, he is not 
much better or much worse with either hand, not being 



§4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

so helpless with his right hand as a normally handed man 
is with his left. In all directions given for shooting, for 
left-handed work merely change "right leg" to "left 
leg"; "right arm" to "left arm," and so on. 





CHAPTER IX 

PISTOL AND REVOLVER CLUBS 

| HE only association devoted 
exclusively to the revolver 
is the United States Re- 
volver Association. The 
Paris ' ' Pistolet " Club shoots 
both duelling pistol and 
revolver under very practi- 
cal conditions, discouraging 
bull's-eye shooting at sta- 
tionary targets and confining the competitors to rapid 
firing. Their whole object, indeed, is to encourage 
rapidity in shooting, whereas in British clubs rapidity is 
to all intents ignored, excepting at the Wilkinson gallery 
in Pall Mall, which I believe is the only pistol shooting 
club or gallery in England where rapid pistol shooting 
is encouraged. There are also several rifle and revolver 
clubs in England. The principa club of this kind in 
England is the North London Rifle Club, which shoots 
once a week at Ilford, Essex, during the summer, having 
competitions, a championship, and so forth, for military 
(not target) revolvers. Particulars can be obtained by 
writing to the Honorary Secretary. 

85 



86 Art of Revolver Shooting 

There are also in England several territorial regimental 
revolver clubs ; and it is not difficult (as far as expense goes) 
to get up local pistol clubs either for outdoor or indoor 
shooting. The councils, committees, and revolver rules 
of the clubs above-named are as follow: 



RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING THE CHAM- 
PIONSHIP MATCHES OF THE UNITED STATES 
REVOLVER ASSOCIATION 

1. General Conditions. — Competitors must make themselves 
acquainted with the rules and regulations of the Association, as the 
plea of ignorance will receive no consideration. The rulings and 
decisions of the executive committee are final in all cases. These 
rules are for general application, but will not apply in cases where 
the special conditions of any match conflict with them. 

2 . Classification of A rtns. — (a) Any revolver. A revolver of any 
calibre. Maximum length of barrel including cylinder, 10 inches. 
Minimum trigger pull, 2^ pounds. Sights may be adjustable but 
they must be strictly open, in front of the hammer and not over 
10 inches apart. 

(b) Any pistol. A pistol of any calibre. Maximum length of 
barrel, 10 inches. Minimum trigger pull, 2 pounds. Sights may be 
adjustable but they must be strictly open, in front of the hammer 
and not over 10 inches apart. 

(c) Military revolver or pistol. A revolver, or a magazine pistol, 
that has been adopted by any civilised government for the arma- 
ment of its army or navy. Maximum weight, 2% pounds. Max- 
imum length of barrel, 7 Yl inches. Minimum trigger pull, 4 pounds. 
Fixed open sights. Rear sights of magazine pistols may be ad- 
justable for elevation only. 

(d) Pocket revolver. A revolver having a maximum weight of 2 
pounds. Maximum length of barrel, 4 inches. Minimum trigger 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs 8 7 

pull, 4 pounds. Sights and model must be such as not to hinder 
quick drawing of the weapon from the pocket or holster. 

3. Loading, Firing, Timing, and Cleaning. — In all revolver and 
pistol matches the weapon must not be loaded until the competitor 
has taken his position at the firing point. The barrel must always 
be kept vertical or pointed towards the target. After a match or 
record score has been begun, in case of an accidental discharge or 
of defective ammunition, if the bullet comes out of the barrel it will 
be scored a shot. The timing in matches C and D will be as follows : 
The competitor standing at the firing point with the arm loaded, 
not cocked, and the barrel pointing downward in a direction not less 
than 45 degrees from the target, will signify to the scorer when he is 
ready to begin each string. The scorer, stop watch in hand, will 
then give the command, "Fire," and exactly fifteen seconds later 
announce, "Time." Misfires will not be scored except in matches 
C and D. Competitors may clean weapons in matches A and B, 
and in the Indoor Championships, but no time allowance will be 
made for time spent in this way. All competitors will be required 
to finish their scores within the time limits specified, except in 
cases of accident, when the time may be extended at the option of 
the executive committee. Blowing through the barrel, to moisten 
it, will be considered cleaning. 

In revolver matches the arm must not be used as a single loader 
or loaded so as to use a limited number of chambers in the cylinder. 
The cylinder must be charged with the full number of rounds for 
which it is chambered, and these must be shot consecutively. If 
scores are shot in ten shot strings, the cylinder shall be charged first 
with six rounds and then with four rounds. If the cylinder only 
contains five chambers, then the ten shot strings may be shot in 
two strings of five each. In matches C and D, and in the indoor or 
gallery events, the arm shall in all cases be charged with five rounds. 

4. Position. — The position shall be standing, free from any sup- 
port, the pistol or revolver being held in one hand, with arm ex- 
tended, so as to be free from the body. 



88 



Art of Revolver Shooting 



5. Arms. — Any revolver or pistol which in the opinion of the 
executive committee complies with the conditions specified in the 
various matches will be allowed to compete in those events. Re- 
volvers or magazine pistols that have been adopted by any govern- 
ment for the armament of its army or navy, or such as in the opinion 
of the executive committee are suitable for military service, will 
be allowed in matches C and D. Among the arms which may be 
used in these matches are the .38 calibre Smith & Wesson or Colt 
military ; .44 Smith & Wesson, Russian model ; .44 Colt New Service ; 
.45 Smith & Wesson Scofield ; .45 Smith & Wesson New Century ; 
.45 Colt, and the following magazine or automatic pistols: Colt, 
Borchardt, Luger, Mannlicher, Mauser, Mors. 

6. Sights. — In open sights, the notch of the rear sight must be 
as wide on top as at any part. Aperture or peep sights or any cov- 
ered or shaded sights will not be allowed. The use of a notch for 
the front sight will not be permitted. Sights may be smoked or 
blackened if desired. Sights on military arms, if modified to suit 
individuals, must remain strictly open, strong and substantial, and 
suitable for military use. 

7. Trigger Pull. — The trigger pull as specified in the various 
events shall be determined by a test weight equal to the minimum 
pull applied at a point three-eighths of an inch from the end of the 
trigger and at right angles to the pin through the trigger. 

8. Ammunition. — In matches C and D, and in the medal com- 
petition, where full charge ammunition is required, it may be the 
product of any reputable manufacturer. It must in all cases be 
brought to the firing point in unbroken boxes, with the label of the 
manufacturer intact. 

9. Targets. The 200-yard Standard American rifle target No. 1 
(containing the 4 ring), with an eight-inch bull's-eye, shall be used 
in all matches at 50 yards. The diameters of the rings are as fol- 
lows: 10 ring equals 3.36 inches; 9 ring equals 5.54 inches; 8 ring 
equals 8 inches; 7 ring equals n inches; 6 ring equals 14.8 inches; 
5 ring equals 19.68 inches; 4 ring equals 26 inches; rest of target 







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90 Art of Revolver Shooting 

28 inches by 28 inches counts 3. The same target reduced so that 
the bull's-eye or 8 ring is 2.72 inches in diameter and the 10 ring 1.13 
inches in diameter, shall be used for all matches at 20 yards. 

10. Marking and Scoring. — In all matches new paper targets 
shall be furnished for each competitor. Not more than ten shots are 
to be fired on any target at 50 yards, and not more than five shots 
on any target in matches C and D and for all shooting at 20 yards; 
the shot holes in all cases to remain uncovered and left as shot. 
Bullets touching, striking, or within a line on the target are to be 
scored the count of that line. The eye alone shall determine 
whether a bullet touches a line or not. 

11. Ties. — Ties shall be decided as follows: (1) By the score at 
the longest distance ; (2) by the score at the next longest distance ; (3) 
by the fewest number of shots of lowest count; (4) by firing five 
shots each under the same conditions as the match and these rules 
in regard to ties, until decided. 

12. Supervision. — The shooting in all the U. S. R. A. events 
must take place in the presence of at least two witnesses, one of 
whom must be an authorized officer of the local club, or shooting 
organization, or a governor appointed by the U. S. R. A. This officer 
shall certify that each contestant has complied with all the U. S. 
R. A. regulations as to distance, weapon, time, ammunition, etc., 
noting same on the blank spaces provided on the score cards and 
signing the score cards in duplicate for each contestant. 

13. Protests. — Any person who believes that an injustice has 
been done, or who dissents from the decision of any authorised execu- 
tive officer of the association, may enter a protest on depositing 
$1 .00 with the cashier or acting treasurer of the club or organisation 
under whose auspices the matches are held. Such protest must be 
in writing, in duplicate, and must be made within 24 hours after 
the incident on which it is based. One copy to be handed to the 
executive officer of the club or organisation conducting the matches 
and the other copy to be mailed to the secretary-treasurer of the 
U. S. R. A. All protests will be investigated and passed upon by 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs 9* 

the executive committee, and, if sustained, the protest fee will be 
returned; otherwise it will be forfeited. 

14. Records. — The shooting for records shall, when practicable, 
be done on the grounds or in a gallery of a regularly organised shoot- 
ing association, military organisation, or club, and in the presence 
of at least two witnesses, one of whom shall be an officer of the 
U. S. R. A., of such shooting organisation or club. The foregoing 
rules and regulations and the conditions governing the champion- 
ship matches of the U. S. R. A. must in all cases be observed and 
followed. The record score shall begin with the first shot after the 
shooter has announced his intention to shoot for record; only the 
first ten shots will apply to the ten shot record; the first twenty 
shots to the twenty shot record, and so on to 50 or 100 shots, as the 
shooter may desire. Such scores for record must in all cases be 
completed within the same proportional time limit as is specified 
for the corresponding championship match. After finishing the 
record score, the target shall be identified and signed by the wit- 
nesses as above designated. The witnesses shall also prepare and 
sign a certificate of prescribed form, which, with the detailed score 
and all targets, shall be forwarded to the U. S. R. A., addressed to 
the secretary-treasurer. If all the conditions, rules, and regulations 
have been complied with, the scoring correct, and if the score is 
higher than or equal to any previously made under the same con- 
ditions, it will be declared a new record. The score will then be 
entered as such in the record book of the association, and the 
shooter formally notified to that effect. 

LE PISTOLET 

Presidents d' honneur — MM. Daniel Merillon, avocat generale 
a la Cour de cassation, president de 1' Union des Societes de tir de 
France; M. H. de Villeneuve, Conseiller d'etat, president de la 
Societe d' encouragement de 1' Escrime. 

Vice-Presidents d' honneur — MM. Lt. -Colonel Derue, Maurice 
Faure. 

Membre d' Honneur — S. M. Alphonse XIII, Roi' Espagne. 



9 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

BUREAU 

President— M. le Comte Justinien Clary. 

Vice-Presidents — MM. Baron Henri dc Castex, Pierre Perrier. 
Secretaire General, Tresorier — M. le Baron Jules Evain. 
Secretaire General, Fondateur — M. Gustave Voulquin. 

LIST DES MEMBRES DU COMITE 

MM. Comte Jules de Bonvouloir, Brincourt, Baron Henri de 
Castex, Comte Justinien Clary, Comte de Crequi-Montfort, Comte 
d' Elva, Baron Jules Evain, Comte Julien de Felcourt, Baron 
Jaubert, Joseph Labbe, Andre Lebey, Leon Lecuyer, Pierre Leve, 
Paul-Albert Martin, Roger Niviere, Pierre Perrier, Comte de 
Rochefort, Baron Andre de Schonen, Comte de Vanssay, Gustave 
Voulquin. 

MEMBRES D' HONNEUR 

MM. A. Perivier, Comte Potocki, Walter Winans. 

MEMBRES HONORAIRES DU COMITE 

MM. Ernest Arthez, Comte Herni d' Havrincourt. 

STATUTS 

Article Premier. — Sous ce titre: "Le Piste-let," il est fonde 
entre les adherents aux presents Statuts, une Societe ayant pour but 
de developper le gout du tir au Pistolet et au Revolver, et d' organiser 
des poules en plein air autant que les saisons le permettront. 

Art. 2. — Tous les membres inscrits au 8 mai 1894 sont de droit 
membres fondateurs. 

Art. 3. — L'Assemblee generale annuelle a lieu dans le premier 
trimestre de l'annee; les Statuts ne peuvent etre modifies que par 
1' Assemblee generale. 

Art. 4. — Le Comite du Pistolet sc compose de 20 membres elus 
par 1' Assemblee generale annuelle au scrutin de liste et a la majority 
des votants. 






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94 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Le Comite est ineligible et renouvelable tous les ans par quart, 
soit par suite de demission, soit par voie de tirages au sort successifs 
de facon que chaque membre du Comite ne soit soumis a la reelec- 
tion qu'une fois en quatre ans. Le vote par correspondance pour 
la nomination des membres du Comite" est admis. ' 

Tout membre du Comite qui n'assistera pas a un tiers au moins 
des reunions du dit Comite" dans l'annee, hors le cas de force 
majeure, sera consider^ comme demissionnaire ; 1' honorariat pourra 
lui etre decerne" par le Comite. 

Le tirage au sort des cinq membres du Comite" devant 6tre 
soumis a reelection sera fait par le Comite a la reunion dans laquelle 
il fixera la date de 1' Assemblee g£n£rale. 

Art. 5.— Le Comite choisira dans son sein: Un President; Deux 
Vice-Presidents ; Un Secretaire General ; Un Secretaire ; Un Tr£sorier. 

Cette derniere fonction pourra §tre cumulfe avec l'une des 
prdc^dentes. 

Le Comity a le droit d' elire des Presidents, Vice-Presidents et 
Membres d' honneur de la Societe. 

Art. 6. — Le Comite soumet tous les ans a 1' approbation de 
l'Assembiee generale les comptes de l'annee et fait un rapport sur la 
situation de la Societe. 

Art. 7. — Les despenses de la Societe sont couvertes par le 
proditu des cotisations, par les dons qui pourraient lui £tre faits 
et par le produit des poules. 

Art. 8. — La cotisation est fixee a 10 francs par an, chaque 
membre paye en outre, au moment de son admission, une entree 
de 20 francs. 

Art. 9. — Toute personne desirant faire partie du Pistolet doit 
£tre presentee par deux membres de la Societe. 

Les membres du Comite peuvent servir de parrains et les 
candidatures doivent £tre connues de tout le Comite trois jours 
au moins avant sa plus prochaine reunion. 

Le Comite vote au scrutin secret et recoit a la majorite des 
presents. 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs 95 

Cinq membres du Comite doivent prendre part au vote pour 
qu' il soit valable. 

Art. io. — Le Comite est charge de la redaction du reglement 
interieur general; il fixe les dates des reunions, decide les conditions 
des poules, ainsi que les endroits ou elles auront lieu; il reste juge 
absolu de toutes les contestations qui pourraient s'elever sur 1' in- 
terpretation du reglement, sur son execution et sur tout ce qui 
peut s'y rattacher; il a toujours le droit, au cours de l'annee, d'ap- 
porter pour 1' organisation et les conditions des poules au pistolet 
et au revolver, tous les changements qu'il croirait necessaires. 

II est charge de 1' organisation des championnats annuels entre 
membres du Pistolet et des tournois internationaux au pistolet et au 
revolver avec inscription libre; mais il doit soliciter 1' autorisation de 
1' Assemblee generale si les frais de ces tournois doivent etre imputes 
sur le budget annuel de la Societe. 

Art. ii. — Dans le cas ou il y aurait, a la fin de l'annee, un 
reliquat actif , le quart sera constitue de droit en fonds de reserve, 
les autres quarts pourront etre employes en achats de prix de differ- 
ente nature et affectes soit a desconcours publics nationaux ou inter- 
nationaux organises par la Societe, soix aux concours organises par 
la Societe entre ses membres, soit aux concours organises paries Soci- 
etes d' encouragement pour le Tir ou pour l'Escrime en France, soit 
a une ceuvre de bienfaisance.selon le voeu du Comite, apres delibera- 
tion et vote par plus de la moite de ses membres. 

Art. 12. — -En cas de dissolution, les fonds en caisse seront 
distribues selon le vceu de l'Assemblee generale. 

Art. 13. — Dans le cas de diflerend d' honneur entreles Societaires 
(au cas ou le diflerend aurait pris naissance a une des reunions de 
la Societe), 1' affaire devra etre soumise a un jury de trois personnes 
pris parmi les membres du Comite, etdont deux seront choisis par 
les interesses et le troisieme par les deux arbitres. 

Art. 14. — L'annee de la Societe date du i er Janvier; les cotisations 
annuelles sont dues a la meme date. 

Tout candidat admis est tenu au versementimme diat de sa 



96 Art of Revolver Shooting 

cotisation et de son entree, par le fait meme de son admission et 
alors meme qu'il rcfuscrait d'en profitcr. 

Les parrains sont responsables de ce paiement. 

Art. 15. — Tout Societaire qui n'aura pas notifie par ecrit au 
President de la Societe, avant le 31 decembre, son intention de ne 
plus faire partie de la Society, reste debiteur de sa cotisation pour 
l'annee suivante. 

GENERAL REGULATIONS OF " LE PISTOLET " 
DUELLING PISTOL 

1. Shooting at the Word of Command. — Distance not less than 
twenty -five metres. Targets: a white or black silhouette of a 
man. The word of command is given at the minimum rate of 
seventy metronome beats to the minute. 

The competitor must keep his arm at full stretch along his body, 
the butt of the pistol touching his thigh. The order to fire is given 
to two or four competitors, as the case may be, who are placed in 
the same line and who shoot simultaneously, each at his respective 
silhouette. Any competitor raising his arm before the word "fire," 
or firing after the word "three," will have a zero scored against 
him. 

2 . Each hit on the silhouette counts one point ; a quarter of a 
point will be allowed to the competitor who makes the first hit if the 
pool consists of five competitors ; if it consists of eleven competitors 
a tenth of a point, if there are fifteen shooters a fourteenth of a 
point will be added. 

In case of a tie for points, the number of hits will take prece- 
dence over "time. " 

In case of a tie between two competitors (equal points and hits) 
the tie will be shot off. 

If there be a tic between a greater number of competitors than 
two (equal number of points and hits) the tie must be shot off until 
one of the competitors has beaten the rest. 



9 8 Art of Revolver Shooting 

3. In the case of a misfire, the competitor must fire again and 
his opponent at the same time also. If the competitor whose pistol 
did not misfire should fail to hit, a zero will be scored against him. 
If, however, he made a hit, his point will be scored even should he 
fail with his second shot — but priority of time will not be credited 
to him unless he hits with his second shot. 

4. If two pools are shot for at the same time the same competitor 
can only enter for one, unless the two pools are shot for under dif- 
ferent conditions or with different weapons. An infringement of 
this rule will entail a fine of five francs. 

5. A bronze medal will be given to the winner of each pool of 
not less than five competitors at ordinary meetings. 

6. One bronze medal only is given per year for each class of 
weapon (pistol or revolver) to each winner. 

Each competitor can be placed first once only at a meeting for 
each class of weapon (pistol and revolver). 

Where a competitor has been placed first for the medal at several 
different meetings, the dates shall be engraved in order on his medal 
for the pistol or revolver, respectively. 

Each competitor may win several pools at the same meeting, 
but can win only one medal for each class of arm, pistol or revolver. 

Each competitor having made top score four times at various 
meetings during the year will receive a silver medal for each class 
of weapon (pistol or revolver). 

Every competitor having made ten top scores at different meet- 
ings during the year, either for revolver or pistol, will have the 
right to an additional special silver gilt medal. 

7. As the Society has for its object the training and improve- 
ment of all its members, and the development of their skill in shoot- 
ing, the Committee reserve the right of framing a special handicap 
or several forms of handicap, as they may deem necessary. 

8. The Committee will nominate each year, after the Annual 
General Meeting, a Shooting Committee composed of members 
selected from their number and from such members who consistently 



Pistol and Revolver Clitbs 99 

attend the periodical shoots. They are eligible for re-election. 
These officials are specially empowered to judge the pools and to 
enforce the rules and regulations governing the competitions. Their 
decisions shall be final. 

9. If no member of the Shooting Committee or any executive 
officer be present at a meeting, the competitors present shall 
appoint a range officer for each pool, whose duty shall be to judge 
the speed and report to the secretary the score made by each 
competitor. His decision to be final. If the range officer himself 
takes part in any of the competitions he must appoint a substitute 
to judge such competition. Should he omit to do so, the point for 
speed will be credited to the score of his opponent. 

No one is allowed to speak to the officer in charge. 

10. Any competitor having entered for a pool, who for any 
cause whatever (except where beyond his control) shall not finish 
his shoot, shall be subject to a fine of ten francs. A similar fine 
will be imposed on any competitor who goes to examine his tar- 
get unaccompanied by the executive officer or a member of the 
Committee. 

No competitor shall inspect the score book whilst taking part 
in a pool, under a penalty of five francs. 

REVOLVER 

1. Stationary Silhouette. — Distance not less than twenty -five 
metres. Six shots to be fired in the shortest possible time. 

Competitors have not more than twenty seconds allowed for 
their six shots. If this time be exceeded the score fails to count. 

2. Single Action Revolvers. — The competitor may cock his 
revolver before his first shot. He must keep the muzzle of the 
weapon pointed to the ground, his arm at his side and the butt of 
the revolver touching his thigh. 

At the word "fire" he will begin shooting and continue without 
interruption, cocking the revolver for each shot. 

3. Double Action Revolvers. — Shooting is done in the same way, 



ioo Art of Revolver Shooting 

with the difference that the competitor must not cock his revolver 
previously — unless contrary to service conditions. 

4. — Misfires. — In case of a misfire, the competitor may fire his 
remaining shots or begin again. 

Time will be taken. 



NORTH LONDON RIFLE CLUB 

President — Col. J. H. Cowan, R.E. 

Vice-Presidents— Lt.-Col. A. W. Bentley, V.D., 1st V.B. Middle- 
sex Regt.; Mr. W. J. M. Burton, L.R.B., Hon. Sec. 1892-1896; 
Lt.-Col. C. R. Crosse, Secretary, N.R.A.; Col. The Right Hon. 
Earl Dunraven, K.P.; Col. W. Evans, H.A.C.; Col. R. M. McKer- 
rell, V.D., J.P., 1st V.B. Royal Scots Fusiliers; Major Henry 
Munday, H.A.C.; Major P. W. Richardson, 2nd V.B., N.F.; Col. 
Sir H. Roberts, Bart., V.D., London Irish, V.R.C.; Mr. Gus 
Rosenthal, Hon. Sec. 1 884-1 890; Lt.-Col. The Right Hon. Earl 
Waldegrave, V.D., L.R.B.; Mr. Walter Winans. 

Trustees— Major P. W. Richardson, 2nd V.B., N.F.; Lieut. T. F. 
Parkinson, Civil Service, R.V. 

Hon. Treasurer — Major S. A. Pinley. 

Hon. Secretary — Mr. Walter C. Luff, 11, Haymarket, S. W. 

REVOLVER COMPETITIONS 

SERIES 

Series I. — Six shots to be fired with the right hand at a station- 
ary target at 20 yards. 

Series II. — Six shots to be fired with the left hand at a station- 
ary target at 20 yards. 

Series III. — Six shots at a stationary target at 50 yards, either 
hand allowed. 

Series IV. — Six shots at a disappearing target at 20 yards, 
interval three seconds, either hand allowed. 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs I01 

Time allowed for each Series of I., II., and III., three minutes 
for six shots. 

N.B. — If two members shoot together by agreement, the time 
allowance will be six minutes for the pair. 

CLASSES 

Members are divided into three classes, viz., I., II., and III. 

SPOONS 

One Spoon will be awarded for each complete 15 entries in each 
Series. All classes will compete for the same Spoons in each Series. 

The scores fixed by the Committee from which handicaps are 
calculated are as follows: 

Ri 20 yards deliberate right 42 

R2 20 yards deliberate left 40 

R-3 5° yards deliberate 38 

R4 20 yards disappearing 38 

Class II. receiving a handicap of 3^ of the points dropped. 
Class III. " " " % 

The prizes in Class II. and Class III. will be awarded on the 
scores made in the qualifying competition should the competitors 
fail to get into the final stage. 

TIES 

Ties for the Jewels and Prizes in the final stage will be decided 
by shooting 12 more shots at 20 yards and 12 more shots at 50 yards 
under Whitehead Cup Conditions. 

Ties for prizes awarded to those who do not qualify, and also 
for places in the final stage, will be settled by the addition of the 
next best score in each Series, and so on until decided. 

REVOLVER SERIES JEWELS 
Open to all members. 
Entrance Fee 2s. 6d. in each Series. 
Series Ri — Aggregate of six best scores at 20 yards, right 
hand. Deliberate. 



102 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Series R2 — Aggregate of six best scores at 20 yards, left hand. 
Deliberate. 

Series R3 — Aggregate of six best scores at 50 yards, either 
hand. Deliberate. 

Series R4 ■ — Aggregate of six best scores at 20 yards, either 
hand. Vanishing. 

WEAPON AND AMMUNITION 

i . — The revolver competitions shall be open to only one class 
of revolver. 

2. — Revolvers admissible to the competitions shall be such as are 
suitable for military purposes. 

3. — The description of revolvers and ammunition admissible 
to competitions shall be as follows : 
Revolvers: 

(a) Weight — Maximum, 2 lbs. 10 ozs. 

(b) Barrel — Maximum length, 7^ ins. 

(c) Calibre — Minimum diameter of bore such as will carry .44 
ammunition. 

(d) Pull of trigger — Minimum 4 lbs. 

(e) Fore sight — To be incapable of vertical or lateral adjustment. 
The barleycorn may be fixed to the fore-sight block by means 
of a screw or a rivet, the intention being to prevent the fore 
sight being moved or adjusted during the practice. The 
bead sight is allowed, but the "bead" must not be less than 
.08 in. in diameter, and .4 in. in length, nor must it be longer 
than any other portion of the sight ; the narrowest part of the 
neck must not be less than half the diameter of the "bead," 
and generally to be in the opinion of the committee of suf- 
ficient solidity and strength to withstand rough usage. 

(/) Back sight — To be without screw adjustment and of some 
simple pattern of sufficient solidity and strength to withstand 
rough usage ; it may consist of a sliding bar, or of leaves affixed 
to the barrel by hinges, or of interchangeable bars fitted into 



Pistol and Revolver Chibs I0 3 

a slot, and it may be a plain open V, or open half-circle or 
section of a circle, or of buckhorn pattern, or a plain bar; the 
interchangeable bars fitting into a slot may be adjusted with 
the aid of a hammer, but such interchange of bars and such 
adjustment of bar, with or without the aid of a hammer, 
shall not be permitted at the firing-point. 

Ammunition: 

As issued at the ranges, but members may bring and use their 
own, provided it conforms to the following conditions, viz. : 

(a) Charge of powder — Minimum, 13 grains of black, or its 
equivalent in smokeless powder. 

(b) Bullet — Minimum weight, 225 grains. 

(c) Case — Minimum weight, 52 grains. 
No other ammunition is allowed. 

MODE OF FIRING 

"Single practice" (that is, cocking the hammer before each 
shot), or "continuous practice" (that is, without cocking the 
trigger), at the option of the competitor. 

In case of any misfires, the competitor will continue to fire the 
remaining chambers, and afterwards reload as many chambers as 
may be necessary to complete his firing. 

POSITION 

Standing, but no rest of any kind, natural or artificial, will be 
allowed. Nor will the competitor be permitted to support himself 
on any part of the gallery or table from which the firing takes place. 
The whole of the arm with which the firing is carried out must be 
clear of the body. 

TARGETS 

As for N. R. A. Bisley. 



104 Art of Revolver Shooting 

REGULATIONS 

In addition to the ordinary by-laws and conditions, as far as the 
same are applicable to revolver shooting, the following regulations 
will be observed: 

1 . No revolver shall be loaded until the target is ready, and the 
competitor has taken his place at the firing-point. 

2. The competitor may load his own revolver, keeping the 
muzzle pointed towards the ground or towards the target,. unless 
the executive officer, or his deputy, or member of the com- 
mittee in charge shall give orders to the contrary, in which 
case it shall be loaded for the competitor by some competent 
person. 

3. Whenever a competition shall be suspended for the ex- 
amination of the target, or other cause, the register-keeper shall 
give the order " Cease fire" ; the revolver shall be at once placed on 
the table, and shall not be touched by any person until the word 
"All clear" is given. 

4. All questions shall be settled by the executive officer or 
other person in charge, subject to reference to the committee if 
demanded by the competitor. 

5. All doubtful shots shall be decided by putting a bullet which 
has passed through the barrel of a revolver of the same calibre into 
the bullet-hole, and if on examination with a magnifying-glass the 
edge of the bullet is found to cut the line, the higher value shall 
be attributed to the shot. 

6. Any members infringing any of the above conditions, or 
in any way disregarding the instructions of the executive officer, 
or indulging in any dangerous practice, shall be at once suspended 
from all further practice or competition by the executive officer, 
his deputy, or member of the committee in charge, and shall not 
fire another shot on the range until he has obtained the sanction of 
the committee. 

7. Any member may enter in the revolver competitions as often 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs I0 5 

as he pleases, subject to the conditions thereof, and to these 
Regulations. 

8. Practice on the revolver range is allowed under the pre- 
scribed conditions. 

9. No member shall compete or practise twice in succession 
while a member shooting in competition is waiting to fire. 

10. The committee reserve the right to alter or add to these 
Regulations. 

REVOLVER COMPETITIONS 

SERIES 

First Series — Six shots at a fixed target at 20 yards. 

Second Series — Six shots at a fixed target at 20 yards, viz., 
first three shots with the right hand, and then three shots with the 
left hand. 

Third Series — -Six shots at a disappearing target at 20 yards — 
interval three seconds. 

Fourth Series — Six shots at a fixed target at 50 yards. 

Time allowed for each of Series I., II., and IV., three minutes. 

N.B. — If two members shoot together by agreement, the time 
allowance will be six minutes for the pair. 

CLASSIFICATION 

In the spoon competition members will be divided into three 
classes, and in each class one spoon will be given for every eight 
entries. 

AMMUNITION 

Ammunition loaded with black or smokeless powder to accord 
with the foregoing regulations may be obtained on the ranges by 
purchase, at the rate of 3d. per six rounds for black, and 4d. for 
smokeless powder. 



io6 Art of Revolver Shooting 



ENTRY FOR SPOONS 

Unlimited entries allowed at an entry fee of is. id. for the 20- 
yards series, and is. 2d, for the 50-yards series, including a target but 
exclusive of ammunition. 

RE-ENTRY 

Members in Classes II. and III may also enter in the higher class 
or classes, but can only fire them simultaneously with or after 
competing in their own class, as in rifle competitions. Only the 
best score made in their own class will count for the championship 
and aggregate prizes. 

PENALTIES 

Winners will be penalised one point for each spoon won, but not 
more than six points altogether, in each class or series. 

PRACTICE 

Practice tickets will be issued at a uniform price of 4d. each for 
either 20 yards or 50 yards, exclusive of ammunition. Unlimited 
practice allowed. 

REVOLVER CHAMPIONSHIP 

Entrance Fee, 5s. 

The details of the best score made by each competitor in each 
spoon competition, which may be good for the championship, shall 
be written in ink or indelible pencil, on the face of the target it- 
self, and signed by the competitor and the register-keeper ; and the 
targets shall be preserved by the secretary for verifying the scores 
for the championship. 

CONDITIONS 

The championship will be decided by the aggregate of six scores 
in Series I., one score in Series II., one score in Series III., and of 
two scores in Series IV., made on separate days. 



Pistol and Revolver Clubs io 7 

First Prize — Gold championship jewel. 
Second Prize — Silver championship jewel. 
Third Prize — Bronze championship jewel. 
The above are open to all members. 
N.B. — A member can take only one prize. 

TIES 

Ties for the championship jewels will be decided by a special 
shoulder-to-shoulder shoot of 30 shots in Series I. If still a tie, by 
single shots until decided. 

Ties for the extra prizes will be settled by the addition of the 
next best score, and so on, until decided. 

HANDICAP TOURNAMENTS 

If sufficient entries are received, there will be two handicap 
tournaments — one in the summer, and one in the autumn, com- 
mencing on dates to be announced. 

Entrance Fee 3s. each 

N.B. — In all tournaments the entrance fees will be returned in 
full as prizes. 

THE RIFLE AND REVOLVER CLUB 

The Rifle and Revolver Club has been built and equipped by a 
member of the Stock Exchange to provide facilities for the 
members of the Stock Exchange Rifle Club to practise at miniature 
targets, during the evenings of every Tuesday and Friday, from the 
1st of October to the end of June in each year until the expiry of 
the ground lease in 1952. 

Members may introduce their friends by simply entering their 
names in the visitors' book, and they can practise with either the 
rifle or the revolver by taking out a visitors' ammunition ticket 
for a few pence. 



108 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Competitions and private matches can always be arranged 
by communicating with the Staff-Sergeant Instructor in charge 

Application forms for membership and all further information 
will be furnished by Mr. 0. F. Austin (c/o Messrs. McAnally and 
Inglis), 3, Adams Court, Old Broad Street, E.C. ; or of Staff-Sergeant 
M. J. Moriarty, at the Club House, 2, Borers Passage, Devonshire 
Square, E. 





CHAPTER X 
PRACTICE AND TRAINING 



'HAT amount of practice is 
necessary in order to keep 
a man at his best, varies 
in different people. It is 
evident that he cannot 
be always at his best, any 
more than he can at all 
times be in perfect con- 
dition for any other class 
of contest, athletic or otherwise. If he tried to become 
so he would only become "stale." 

If you are going to shoot in a competition, do your 
preliminary work so that you come to your best at the 
time you need it, and not before, as so many do. Some 
practise so that they are shooting their best some time 
prior to the event for which they are training, and then 
they get "stale" and go off their shooting just when they 
want to shoot well. It is the better plan to be hardly at 
one's best when the competition opens, but to be "coming 
on." 

Get into as good general health as you can. Take a 
dose of something which acts upon the liver, if needful. 

109 



no Art of Revolver Shooting 

You cannot shoot well if your liver be not in perfect 
order. Shoot very little at first. Gradually do more and 
more every day; but slacken, or even stop, for a day or 
two if you find you are overdoing it. Stop smoking 
if you are a smoker; and be very abstemious in what you 
drink. Personally, I have been a water drinker and a 
non-smoker all my life. 

Some men, like myself, can never do as good work in 
practice as when entered for an uphill competition that 
will need to be hard fought. They need the stimulus of 
competing to wake them up. I do not remember ever 
making so good a score in practice as I have done in 
competition, except one single score at rapid firing. 
With some, a hard tussle, instead of making them pull 
themselves together and bracing them up, has just the 
opposite effect; they go all to pieces when "pushed" or in 
a tight place. I am afraid such men can never do any 
good in shooting competitions. To win, a man, like a 
trotting horse, should, as Ira Paine used to say, have a 
little "devil" in him. If a man is "soft," or too good- 
natured and easy-going, and of a "never-mind" disposi- 
tion, he is no good in shooting competitions; while on 
the other hand if he be excitable or irascible he will ' ' get 
shaking" and upset himself just when he ought to keep 
cool. Some even brood over a coming match until, when 
the struggle commences, their nerves are all unstrung. 
Others again work themselves into a fever of excitement 
by exclamations of impatience each time a shot or any- 
thing else goes wrong. 

When getting ready for an important shoot, I begin 



Practice and Training 



in 



some months before, shooting once on each day and then 
dismissing from my mind for the rest of the day all thought 
of shooting. Gradually I work it up to an hour and a half 
daily, during which time I fire from two hundred to four 
hundred shots. For an average man this is too many 






STANDARD AMERICAN TARGET 






Diameter of Circles 




io circle . 


. 3.36 inches \ 

. 5.54 " [■ Bull's-eye 


6 circle . 


. 14.80 inches 


9 " 


5 " 


. 19.68 " 


8 " 


. 8.00 " ) 


4 " • 


. 26.00 " 


7 " 


. 11.00 " 

Rest of target 28X28 


inches 





shots a day. Three days before the time, I stop shoot- 
ing, so as to come fresh to it and avoid being "stale"; 
but some men find it better to work right up to the day 
itself. 

You ought not to shoot quite alone; I mean you ought 
to have a competitor and an audience, and, if possible, 



112 Art of Revolver Shooting 

a hostile (or feignedly hostile) one. It is advisable to 
get people to stand behind you and make remarks about 
your shooting; laughing when you make a bad shot; 
telling each other anecdotes (this latter is very disconcert- 
ing ; the former only makes you set your teeth and shoot 
all the better), and occasionally letting something drop 
with a bang, just at a critical moment in your shooting. 

This will accustom you to shoot in competition before 
spectators, and prevent your becoming disconcerted by 
their presence. I do not mean to say that you will be 
so treated at Bisley or at the clubs, for the range officers 
at Bisley are very strict in making anyone who is not 
shooting stand well back and not talk loudly, and in 
France the strictest etiquette is observed in this con- 
nection. But with the above training you will come 
not to mind even a buzz of conversation and movement 
behind you when you are competing, or, indeed, the sudden 
silence which denotes that you are about to fire a shot 
on which much depends. Had you, however, practised 
always in solitude, you would, when shooting in public, 
be far less composed and self-possessed. 

I think that anyone who is really an expert pistol 
shot can, for a few shots, shoot well at any time (when in 
normal health), without any practice. Once I did not 
have a pistol in my hand for nearly a year, and then I 
made a highest possible score at my first attempt. But 
one cannot keep it up for any number of shots, the muscles 
being out of training and the thumb and trigger-finger 
getting sore, and even cut. 

Be careful when training not to get a "raw" or 



Practice and Training IX 3 

sprain anywhere on your shooting hand; if you feel 
one coming, rest that hand till it is healed, and grad- 
ually you will get a "corn" where the friction existed. 
If you shoot with a ' ' raw ' ' you will be liable to 
flinch, and so find it harder to shoot in good form. 
I shot all through one Bisley meeting with my right 
wrist sprained; and at another with my right thumb 
partly out of joint. But I had to keep on shooting, 
as my championship depended on winning. There is 
one great charm of the Pistolet Club, and all pistol 
shooting in France; you shoot with light charges 
and so do not get knocked about, and deafened, as you 
do in England where one is compelled to use heavy 
charges. If only for this reason I think that pistol 
shooting will never become popular in England under 
existing rules. 

In reference to practice not being necessary to a 
seasoned shot, it is much better not to have practised at 
all than to be "stale. " I remember one of the best shots 
at the "running deer" range telling me he never took a 
rifle in his hand except during the Wimbledon fortnight 
(we used in those days to have the N.R.A. at Wimbledon) ; 
but then he was always using a gun the rest of the year, 
and this was better practice than using a rifle at stationary 
targets, hence perhaps his invariable success in beating 
the target shots. 

On a wet, windy, or otherwise unsuitable day, it is 
best to keep entirely away from open-air pistol ranges. 
You will not have wasted time; you will, most likely, do 
better shooting the next time; and the others will probably 



IX 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

all be " shot out " without having anything to show 
for it. 

Above all things, do not stand behind a good shot and 
watch him beating your best score; this is fatal to your 
nerves. 

It is advisable to have a good leather case, with a lock, 
and your name on it, for your ammunition at Bisley. If 
you use the ammunition from the boxes in which the 
cartridges are sold, you are very apt to find yourself using 
someone else's cartridges by mistake — often bad ones. 
I recollect an orderly at one Bisley meeting collecting all 
the odd lots of revolver-cartridges lying about the firing- 
points. He placed them in a box, and a competitor used 
them by mistake! 








BADGES WON BY THE AUTHOR 



115 




CHAPTER XI 

GALLERY SHOOTING 

^Y this term I mean shooting under cover as 
distinct from shooting in the open air. 

Some people say of gallery shooting, 
"This is not sport," just as those who 
have never tried "tame deer" and "drag" 
hunting say that these are not sport. One 
can, however, get a lot of fun out 
of both, under circumstances in 
which anything that people call 
"legitimate" sport would be impossible. 

Nobody can make good shooting with a pistol in a 
wind. When I say this, I am generally told: "You ought 
to be able to shoot in any weather." I do not mind shoot- 
ing a match in a gale of wind if my adversary is also 
exposed to it, as that is good sport. But, I repeat, it is 
impossible, except by a fluke, to make a really good score 
in a wind, or to do any shooting which is useful as practice. 
You may shoot hard all day long whenever a wind is 
blowing, and, instead of improving your shooting, it will 
entirely spoil your "form" and "timing." The reason 
is this: With a rifle, especially if you use the "back" 
position, you can "hold" steady in quite a strong wind, 




BELGIAN SINGLE-SHOT PISTOL. — SAW-HANDLE 




BELGIAN SINGLE-SHOT PISTOL. SAW-HANDLE 

Showing breech open 



117 



118 Art of Revolver Shooting 

and the wind only lends interest and brings science 
into play in "allowing for wind." With the pistol, 
on the contrary, you have to stand up, the wind 
blows your arm and body about, you have only 
one arm to steady the pistol, and that is being 
buffeted about at full stretch. How would you shoot 
if someone took hold of the sleeve of your shooting arm 
and kept twitching it as you tried to aim, and at 
the same time pushed you? This is what the wind 
practically does. 

As it is impossible to shoot to any advantage in a 
wind, the summer months are generally the only ones 
when pistol competitions are practicable in the open air. 
A pistol-shot cannot get any practice out-of-doors on 
boisterous winter days, especially if he is busy all day and 
the light fails just at the time he is free. This is when 
the indoor gallery comes in useful. 

I do not know of any good public pistol-shooting gal- 
lery in England at the present moment, although there 
are several clubs where heavy charges are shot and where 
no light trigger-pull is allowed, or light charges. In Paris, 
Gastinne-Renette's, 39, Avenue d'Antin, is furnished 
with all the latest modern improvements and it has the 
very great advantage that the shooting is by daylight and 
in the open air and sheltered from the wind. There is at 
the Gastinne-Renette Gallery an annual competition dur- 
ing March, April, and May, with prize pistols, revolvers, 
and medals. For ordina^ practice, the revolver sub- 
scription is at the rate of 55f. per 500 shots, or 3of. per 
250 shots. I will give fuller details of the matches shot 



Gallery Shooting 



119 



there in my chapter on the duelling pistol, and some 
particulars about the light charges. 

A private gallery can easily be fitted up in the cellars 
of large country houses, or even of town houses. All that 




STYLES OF SMITH & WESSON ENGRAVING 

is needed is a gallery of moderate length — ten yards will 
suffice at a pinch, though in mine it is possible to shoot up 
to thirty- three yards — with targets and butt, such as I 
describe in the chapter on Stage Shooting, at one end. 



120 Art of Revolve?' Shooting 

The targets should be lighted from above, in daytime 
preferably by a skylight, and by gas lamps or electric lights 
at night. When artificial light is used, it should be 
screened, so that from the firing-point the targets are 
distinct and the source of the light is invisible. At the 
firing-point it is difficult to get a satisfactory light at 
night. If this gallery is not made in a green-house, 
which, of course, would give ample light to sight by in 
the day, I think there is no use in trying to get the 
light to shine on your sights at night. If it is be- 
hind you, you stand in your own light. If enough 
above you to prevent this, the light only shines on 
the top edges of your sights, and is thus worse than 
useless. I find it best to have enough light behind me to 
enable me to load, etc., and to trust to seeing the sights in 
a black silhouette against the target. You may, for this 
reason, have to alter your sights from the elevation which 
suits you out-of-doors. 

You should have a ventilating shaft straight above the 
muzzle of your revolver, and, if possible, a fan to draw off 
the fumes and smoke; this can be worked by electricity 
or by water-power. 

It is expedient to use only the lightest gallery am- 
munition, and it deadens the sound if you have the walls 
covered with some sort of thick material hung loosely. 
Boiler-felt is very good for the purpose. Also if you shoot 
through a hole in a partition screen it helps to deaden 
the sound. 

I prefer a big-calibre revolver, as it gives a better 
chance to score; a shot which would be just out of the 



Gallety Shooting 



121 



bull with a small bullet may just cut the bull with a large 
ball. The bullet-hole is also more easily seen, but the 
bullet must be round so as to be as light as possible or 




STYLES OF SMITH & WESSON ENGRAVING 



you will have to use too heavy a charge of powder to 
propel it. 

The self -registering targets, such as are used for 



122 Art of Revolver Shooting 

m'niature .22 calibre rifles, I do not find very satisfactory 
at ranges under 20 yards; those, at least, that I have 
tried ; the larger size of the revolver bullet makes it liable 
to strike two compartments at the same time, giving you 
a double score. The impact of the bullet is, moreover, 
too heavy for the mechanism. I prefer card targets for 
short ranges, and at 25 yards Gastinne-Renette's self- 
registering targets. Do not have targets that necessitate 
anyone's going down the range, or coming out from a 
mantlet, to change. Have the card targets made to 
draw up to the firing-point for examination and change, 
and never let anyone turn round with a revolver in his 
hand. In fact, observe all the rules as to table to fire 
from, etc., which I give in the chapter on Learning to 
Use the Pistol. All these rules apply equally to gallery 
shooting. 

As the gallery is generally narrow, it may be difficult 
to have traversing targets, but you can have disappear- 
ing or rapid-firing at my cinematograph targets. 

Such a gallery will be an endless source of amusement 
in the winter evenings, after dinner; and the ladies can 
shoot as well as the men. 

It is advisable to handicap the good shots, so as to 
give all an equal chance. 

I have lately devised a cinematograph target that 
should afford good practice, especially in ranges where 
miniature small-arms are used. 

According to my invention I provide a plain target, 
preferably painted white, and I project on to the same 
by means of cinematograph apparatus representations of 



Gallery Shooting I2 3 

animals or men running and doubling across the surface 
of the target. 

The target is so constructed and arranged in con- 
nection with the cinematograph apparatus that when 
struck by the bullet the traverse of the cinematograph 
film will be momentarily arrested so that the representa- 
tion remains stationary on the target. During this brief 




SMITH & WESSON SINGLE-SHOT TARGET PISTOL 

period while the film is stationary it will be possible to 
see the result of the shot. The travel of the film will 
then be resumed and the practice may continue. 

The target may be of any suitable material and may be 
made in several separately mounted parts if desired so as 
to more readily respond to the impact of the shot and 
arrest the film. 

It is obvious that a much greater variety of running 



I2 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

and moving objects may be provided for shooting practice 
by means of the cinematograph than can be afforded by 
the mechanism usually employed for providing moving 
targets. 

Gallery shooting is by far the most scientific style 
of revolver shooting, if you use a very light load, fine 
sights, and hair trigger; therefore you can have smaller 
bull's-eyes and subdivisions than the Bisley ones. The 
American and the French targets are better subdivided 
for this purpose. Messrs. De La Rue make me special 
"ace of hearts" packs of cards for use as targets, also 
one with a blue-bottle fly as a bull's-eye, natural size. 
Also for experimental work a gallery is much more 
reliable than shooting out-of-doors. 

When shooting with gallery ammunition in which the 
bullets are "seated" low, look into the cartridges before 
putting them into the chambers, as a bullet may have 
worked itself up, which would cause a weak, low shot. 
Push the bullet down with a loading rod, or a pencil, 
before you insert the cartridge into the chamber, if you 
find the bullet has shifted. Also if for any reason after 
firing a few shots with this ammunition you stop, and 
want to reload the chambers which have been fired, it 
is as well to take out all the cartridges that have not 
been fired, and examine them, as the jar of firing 
may have started some of the bullets. They need re- 
seating. 

If you can possibly get some of the French smokeless 
powder, as used at Gastinne-Renette's Gallery, this is 
much the best powder to use for this purpose, as it shoots 



Gallery Shooting 



125 



evenly, does actually not make smoke, gives very little 
smell (and that not unpleasant), and shoots so "cleanly" 
that you can fire hundreds of shots without cleaning the 
pistol. 








CHAPTER XII 
GASTINNE-RENETTE'S GALLERY IN PARIS 

THE DUELLING PISTOL 




: N regard to galleries where one 

can get pistol practice, that of 

Gastinne-Renette in Paris 

stands easily first, as not only 

is it lit up in the best style for 

all sorts of shooting, but the 

weapons supplied are the best 

in the world. Founded in 1835, 

it has recently been refitted. 

The usual shooting gallery 

in England is lit by artificial 

light, and badly at that, and what in my opinion is 

the chief cause of English galleries of this kind being 

so little patronised is that they are run on the principle 

of "All pay, nothing receive." 

No matter how well you shoot, — you may, indeed, 

be beating all the records in the world, — when you have 

done shooting you simply pay so much for every shot you 

have fired, and get nothing in return. 

Naturally a man soon gets tired of this, and, so far 

126 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Paris I2 7 

as practice is concerned, it is better and comes far cheaper 
to fix up a private range. 

At Gastinne-Renette's, on the contrary, if you make a 
good score you receive a gold, a silver, or a bronze 
medal, or plaque, or an objet d'art is given to you, 
while in addition your score is inscribed in a permanent 
register. When the target is an exceptionally good one it 
is framed and set up in the gallery, your name being 
inscribed in gold letters in the "Roll of Honour" on a 
slab on the wall. 

There are scores there that have been made by almost 
all the best pistol-shots in the world who have visited 
the gallery at various times. They date, I believe, from 
seventy years back. There are some very good scores by 
the late King of Portugal. 

Also you can subscribe for practice, and then your 
shooting costs very little. 

While there are plenty of competitions and medals to 
be won at deliberate shooting, most of the shooters prefer 
the more practical practice of rapid firing. 

I suppose it is a matter of national temperament. 
Again, whilst in England it is the hardest thing possible 
to get men to shoot at anything but stationary 
targets and do deliberate shooting, either in rifle or 
revolver competitions (they have no pistol competi- 
tions), in France it is the minority who go for deliberate 
shooting. Very many go in for the rapid- shooting com- 
petitions with pistol and revolver. 

In consequence, whilst one could count on the fingers 
of one hand all the Englishmen who can shoot well at 



128 JL r t of Revolver Shooting 

moving targets or who are expert in rapid firing with a 
revolver, in Paris there are several dozen very brilliant 
shots, over and above plenty who can shoot really well. 
I do not remember ever seeing at Gastinne-Renette's 
the name of an Englishman who had won even a bronze 




GASTIXNE-RENETTE S GALLERY 



medal in the rapid-firing or moving-object competitions, 
and the only American name there is my own. 

If anyone, therefore, wants to become a first-class 
pistol- or revolver-shot I would strongly recommend him 
to do his practising at Gastinne-Renette's. 

The gallery, warmed by hot water pipes in winter, 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Paris I2 9 

has a series of openings into the outer air, in which the 
shooters and their assistants stand. These being shut off 
by glass doors from the main gallery, spectators can watch 
the shooting without their being annoyed by the noise of 
the reports. The targets stand out in the open court. 
The shooting is all done with light charges and with 




UNDERGROUND GALLERY FOR HEAVY CHARGES 

a light trigger-pull — unless otherwise specially desired, in 
which case one can get knocked to pieces and half 
deafened by shooting with heavy charges in a gallery 
beneath. 

In none of the competitions is one forced to use heavy 
charges or a heavy trigger-pull, and this makes the shoot- 
ing far more enjoyable. The heavy trigger-pull obligatory 
in England has caused many a man to discontinue 
revolver shooting, for this heavy pull requires a lifetime 



x 3o Art of Revolver Shooting 

to master. And when it is mastered it is of no earthly- 
use, as no man in his senses would use a heavy trigger- 



GASTINNE-RENETTE S GALLERY FIRING POINTS 

pull if his life depended upon his skill in shooting. 

As this chapter deals with the duelling pistol, I will 
begin by describing how this weapon is used in practice. 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Parts J 3i 

In a subsequent chapter I will explain how it is used in an 
actual duel. 

The duelling pistol is a single-shot muzzle-loader of 
.40 calibre. 

The best make is Gastinne-Renette's. He makes 
two other sorts of breech-loading duelling pistols as well, 




Fig. 1. How some hold the duelling pistol 

but as the muzzle-loader is the regulation duelling 
pistol, I will describe it first. 

It has, as will be seen by the illustration, a straighter 
grip than a revolver, also it has a spur on the trigger- 
guard. 

One way of holding it is to put the second finger round 
this spur (see fig. 1), but most of the best shots hold it as 
in fig. 2. 



r 3 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Whilst for a revolver I advocate holding the thumb 
along the top of the grip (as explained in Chapter VIII), 
the stock is too straight for this hold with the duelling 
pistol, and the thumb must therefore be turned down, as 
shown in fig. 4 (also in fig. 3). 

How far you hold up the stock must be determined 




Fig. 2. The Author's way of holding the duelling pistol 

by practice. If you hold very high up, and you have a 
muscular or fat hand, the flesh between your thumb and 
forefinger will hide your hind sight. Hold it as high up 
as possible, however, and do not get too much of the fore- 
finger round the trigger ; also remember to squeeze straight 
back. 

The assistant — you are not allowed to load your own 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Pans 133 

weapon or to shoot without an assistant being with you — 
loads the pistol as follows: 

He has, on the ledge before him, a bowl of smokeless 
powder, a bowl of caps, and a bowl of round bullets. 

He first puts on a cap and snaps it, to clear the nipple 
(generally a pair of pistols are used, he loading the one 




Fig. 3. How some hold the duelling pistol (another view) 

whilst you shoot the other) ; then he puts in, with a small 
scoop, a load of powder; and lastly he puts on a cap. All 
this time the pistol has been kept "muzzle up," to 
prevent the powder from running out. This charge of 
powder he also shoots off to clear the nipple. 
Now the pistol is ready for loading. 



J 34 Art of Revolver Shooting 

He puts in the powder, then puts a bullet on the 
muzzle, taps it down with a wooden mallet, and then 
drives it home with a wooden loading rod and the mallet. 

Next he puts on a cap, and then he hands you the 
pistol at half cock, his thumb on the cap. 

There are two distances for the duelling pistol, namely 




FlG. 4. The Author's way of holding the duelling pistol (another view) 

sixteen metres and twenty-five metres; the former is for 
deliberate shooting, the latter is for rapid firing under 
duelling conditions. 

A number of medals and plaques are offered to be 
shot for at both distances, either at targets, eggs, figures 
in plaster of Paris, plates, figures of running men or 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Pains 135 

running rabbits, and, at the longer range, at the black 
silhouette of a life-sized man. 

The bronze medals and plaques can be won by any 
moderately good shot; to win the silver medals needs 
very good shooting; and to secure the gold ones the 
competitor must be a brilliant marksman. 

It will be found — at least I find it so — that in the 
deliberate shooting better scores can be made with a duel- 
ling pistol than with a revolver, and the scores that have 
won the gold medal with pistol and revolver respectively 
bear me out in this. I give at the end of this chapter 
details of what scores have to be made to win these 
various events. 

As the special use of the duelling pistol, however, is 
for duelling, I will now describe how to become pro- 
ficient with it in that style of shooting, leaving for a 
later chapter the points to be observed in an actual 
duel. 

The metronome to beat 100 to the minute. You 
cock the pistol and stand with the left foot behind the 
line of the opening, — the right foot may be outside on 
the mat, — your elbow touching your hip, the butt of the 
pistol touching your thigh, and the pistol pointing at the 
ground. 

Be very careful not to touch the trigger, as the pull is 
so light ; be careful also not to point the muzzle at your 
right foot, for in that case you might put a bullet through 
your foot in the event of an accidental discharge. 

The assistant, speaking at the speed of the metro- 
nome, says: "Attention! Feu! Un — deux — trois!" At 



J 3 6 Art of Revolver Shooting 



the word "feu" you raise the pistol, which must be fired 
before the word "trois." This is called 
shooting "Au Commandement." 

The target consists of a steel black 
figure of a man in profile (see figure) . The 
various parts count 5, 4, 3, and 2, respec- 
tively, the highest count being the oblong 
in the middle of the body, and the lowest, 
the legs. The head counts 3. 

This figure is connected electrically with 
a small indication figure at the side of the 
firing-point, a bell ringing and a numbered 
disc appearing on the latter figure in the 
section struck by the bullet in the original. 

The marker then goes out — after calling 
out "plaque" to ensure all being clear — • 
and paints over the bullet mark. 

This competition is shot very much on 
the lines of the "disappearing target" 
competition at Bisley, described later, 
and you had better read that chapter in 
connection with this one. 

There are some differences, however. 

Besides the grip and balance of the 
duelling pistol being different from those 
of the revolver, the pistol has to be raised 
from pointing to the ground, instead of 
from the hip level. This has a tendency 
to make you shoot low, as the time taken 
in raising the arm has to be hurried. 



Silhouette show- 
ing spots made by 
the author in com- 
petition at the 
Gastinne-Renette 
Gallery, April 7, 
1910 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Paris *37 

The sight is a shiny silver bead instead of a black one ; 
the target has no visible "bull," and the divisions of the 
target have to be judged, as they do not show from the 
firing point. 

It will be noticed that the middle oblong, counting 
five, is not absolutely central. The figure's chest pro- 




DUELLING PISTOLS BY GASTINNE-RENETTE 

The property of the Author 

jects to the right, and its waist comes in on the left side. 
If the figure were made of parallelograms you could 
judge the centre (horizontally) all the way up ; but, with 
the shape it is, if you shoot for the centre of the bull you 
are apt to get out to the right as the "bull" is at that 
point to the left [i.e., there is more inner on its right; and 




THE GASTINNE-RENETTE CHALLENGE TROI'HY 



138 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Paris 139 

conversely, if you hit low for the bull you are apt to get an 
inner to the left]. The best way is to come up a trifle to 
the left of the centre of the figure, otherwise you will 
spoil a "possible" by two or three inners on the right of 
the bull. 




THE GASTINNE-RENETTE l6 METRES TARGET 

This target has a i f ( , black. The ring is to facilitate judging 



If you find, that you are shooting low it is much easier to 
hit the figure just below the bull than anywhere else, for 
which reason I have advised that place to shoot for in a real 
duel. One gets there so much quicker and more surely. 

Keep your head well up, and look at the head of the 
figure instead of at the middle of the bull. 



140 Art of Revolver Shooting 

This is a rule: if your last shot was low, look higher; 
if it was high, look lower. 

If you are careful to squeeze, instead of jerking, you 
are almost sure always to hit the figure, the only misses 
allowable being a graze of the waist to the left, or under 
the chin to the right. 

In order to make "possibles" (twelve shots make 
a score and not six, as in England, which increases the 
difficulty enormously) you have to be very careful of 
your lateral direction; the vertical direction is compara- 
tively unimportant. 

The Gastinne-Renette duelling pistol is made in three 
styles (see page 141). 

The top one shows the breech-loading model ; the mid- 
dle one the muzzle-loading model; and the lowest one the 
semi-breech-loading model. 

This last is intended to combine the accuracy of the 
muzzle-loader with the ease of loading of the breech- 
loader. 

The powder is poured down the muzzle in the same 
way that the muzzle-loader is loaded; then the barrel is 
slid forward by the lever connected with the trigger- 
guard, the muzzle of the pistol being held vertically in 
order that the powder may not be spilled. 

The powder is now found to be tilling the thimble- 
like breech. The bullet is placed on the top of this 
thimble, and the barrel is closed by returning the lever 
to its place. 

Finally a cap is placed on the nipple, and the loading 
is complete. 



Gastinne-Renette s Gallery in Paris H 1 

Though this of course takes longer than does the load- 
ing of a breech-loading pistol, it is easier for an amateur to 
accomplish than is the loading of a muzzle-loader. 






DUELLING PISTOLS 

(By Gastinne Renette) 



I doubt, however, whether with expert loaders it is 
as quick as loading a muzzle-loader. 



J 42 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Breaking "plates" (i. e., large saucers) "Au Com- 
mandement" is easy; but to break a hundred of them 
in order to win a gilt medal requires care, also a certain 
amount of strength and condition. 

The gold medal for shooting at sixteen yards with a 
duelling pistol at the target shown on page 139 is com- 
peted for both in deliberate shooting and "Au Com- 
mandement." In the former, twelve shots must be in, 
not touching the five ring ; in the latter in the four ring. 

In former years the "Au Commandement " was shot 
for with slow counting, but with the metronome at 100 
it is the most difficult of all the medals shot for. 

The revolver is also shot a great deal at this gallery; 
the usual one is the Smith & Wesson, with gallery charge 
of French powder and a round bullet, either the .44 
Russian model or the .38 Army model double action, which 
is also a Smith & Wesson. 

I have described, in my chapters on gallery and stage 
shooting, how to use the former. 

At Gastinne-Renette's there are many medals to be 
shot for with it, and a gold medal similar to the one for 
the duelling pistol in deliberate shooting can be shot for; 
but there is none for rapid firing or for shooting a revolver 
with double action, which I think is a pity. 

The double action .38 calibre is used in the yearly 
competition at the twenty-five metres man figure, when 
six shots are fired in twenty seconds, and then a second 
series of six, constituting a total score of twelve. 

It is not permissible to cock the pistol, or yet to raise 
it, until the word "feu" is called. 



Gastinne-Renettc s Gallery in Paris J 43 

Two scores of 12 shots each to count (not necessarily 
consecutive scores.) 

It is one or two points easier than the "Au Com- 
mandement" with the duelling pistol. 

The first shot takes a long time to get off, but twenty- 
seconds gives plenty of time for the six shots. I generally 
get mine off in from fifteen to seventeen seconds. 

The great thing is to draw back the trigger so as not 
to jerk off; this is rather tiring to the trigger-finger and 
cannot be long continued. 

Another form of shooting this is to fire at two men 
figures alternately ; in doing so six hits in four seconds have 
been scored. 




CHAPTER XIII 



LE PISTOLET CLUB 




/HIS is a Paris club which holds 
its meetings at Gastinne-Ren- 
ette's Gallery for competitions 
especially with the duelling pis- 
tol under duelling conditions, 
but there are also occasionally 
competitions with the revolver. 
The usual competitions con- 
sist of: 

Shooting "Au Commande- 
ment " at the "man " at twenty- 
five metres, in pairs. Each competitor shoots once against 
every other competitor, and the greatest number of hits 
wins. A hit anywhere counts only one point, but half 
a point is added to the one to shoot first of each pair. 

Raising the pistol before the word "feu," or shooting 
after the word "trois," counts as a zero even if the target 
be hit. 

There is an elaborate table that indicates which 
members (the competitors' order of shooting) shoot 
against each other, and which has the right-hand stand, 
so that each has an equal chance. 

144 



Le Pistolet Club *45 

A fee of a franc only is charged, and the winner gets 
a medal. 

Another form of shooting is as above, but hits count 
according to their value, as in ordinary competitions. 
A third is "le tir au pigeon," in which the rule is "first 
miss out," the one who can keep in longest without a 
miss, winning. 

Sometimes there are competitions at the "running 
rabbit," or rapid firing at the "man " with revolvers. 

This club has among its members the very best pistol- 
shots in the world, under duelling conditions, men who 
can get their shots off instantaneously and with extreme 
accuracy. 

Shooting against another man and trying to get your 
shot off before he does is much more difficult to accomplish 
than shooting by yourself and merely trying not to be 
later than "trois." 

This is a very exclusive club, only men of a certain 
social standing being admitted. 

They never shoot big charges, or use a heavy trigger- 
pull, though in England, as already stated, this is deemed 
necessary. 

If a man can hold his own in these competitions he 
may consider himself a first-class shot, and all the shooting 
is practical, and not target shooting. 

The counting is quicker than ioo to the minute. 






CHAPTER XIV 

COMPETITIONS WITH THE DEVILLIERS 
BULLET 




'EVILLIERS has patented a bullet 
for practising duelling, the com- 
petitors shooting at each other. 
The bullet is useful also for in- 
door shooting where a leaden 
bullet would be dangerous. 

The composition of the bullet 
is a secret, but the bullet is 
light, and, when propelled by a 
cap with fulminate only, gives a 
hard rap where it strikes. 
When shooting with it at a man the following precau- 
tions must be observed, according to the inventor. 

i. "Don't shoot at less than twenty metres." It 
is useless to shoot with it at more than twenty metres, 
as the bullet rapidly loses its accuracy beyond that dis- 
tance ; the blow at twenty metres distance is not severe 
if one is properly protected. 

2 . " Wear goggles , a fencing mask , and gloves . " Th e 
goggles are now made part of the mask, and are of very 

thick glass, while, instead of the shooter's wearing a glove, 

146 



Devilliers Bullet 



H7 



a metal shield is affixed to the pistol (see illustration). 
The hand must not be lowered before your opponent fires. 
I once shot against a friend who omitted this precaution, 
and my bullet cut away the flesh at the lower part of 
his thumb. 

3 . " Wear a black linen blouse. ' ' This may be neces- 




HOW TO HOLD THE DUELLING PISTOL WITH GUARD FOR SHOOTING 

devillier's BULLET 

sary to prevent your clothes being soiled, but it makes 
you a bigger target for your opponent. Therefore a tight- 
fitting coat is better. I shoot with no body protection. 
4. "In winter be careful that the bullets do not 
freeze." I find it best to keep the loaded pistols on ice 
for some time before shooting — not letting them freeze, 
however — and not to let the pistol get too hot, for if the 



r ' 




POSITION FOR ATTENTION 



I48 



Devilliers Bullet x 49 

bullet gets warm it loses its accuracy through not taking 
the rifling properly. 

5. " In summer cool the bullets as much as possible." 
This I quite agree with. 

The bullets are loaded as follows. First you get from 
the maker some empty cartridge cases, also caps. Then 
you put the bullet lightly into the mouth of the cartridge, 
taking care not to press it in or, by squeezing it with your 
fingers, put it out of shape. Next you insert it into the 
breech of your pistol — keeping the muzzle up so that the 




.22 CALIBRE TARGET PISTOL BY LEESON 

(Made according to author's specifications) 

bullet may not drop out owing to its not fitting the 
cartridge tightly. Finally you lower the muzzle of 
the pistol and insert the cap, and then close the breech. 

When the cartridge has been fired there may be 
difficulty in extracting the cap for reloading the cartridge. 
If that be so, push out the cap by inserting a wire into the 
mouth of the cartridge and pushing inside the cap. But 
don't attempt to do this with a loaded cap ! 

The competitions take place like Pistolet Club com- 
petitions or like a real duel, and preferably in the open air. 




POSITION WHEN SHOOTING 



150 



Devil Hers Bullet r 5i 

Naturally spectators must not stand behind either 
of the shooters, and in places where there is not a clear 
space of about a hundred yards behind each, a white 
linen sheet hung behind each of them will stop the bullets. 
This makes a distinct background, but the effect is bet- 
ter, and the practice too is better, when such sheets are 
dispensed with. 

This kind of shooting makes an amusing game to play 
at garden parties, fetes, and so on. Also it comes as a 
novelty after the everlasting round of tennis and croquet 
parties. 

Another form, one very useful for cavalry, is to have 
a fight on horseback, with revolvers. In such matches 
the horses' eyes must of course be protected, and a rug and 
hood should be put on if the animals are nervous or thin- 
skinned, for a blow at a distance of a few feet would be 
very severe. 

The bullet is also useful for shooting at a paper target, 
when galloping past. It easily penetrates a playing card 
and a Bisley target behind it, at five yards. 

In fact the invention of this bullet practically solves 
the problem of how to teach shooting from horseback, 
if only the barrel of the pistol could be kept cool 
enough. Perhaps having several pistols and using them 
alternately is the best way to get over this difficulty. 

The bullet is also useful for stage shooting when 
shooting objects off persons' heads, or out of their hands 
or mouths, especially if the fingers of the assistant are 
protected by steel thimbles under his gloves when he 
holds cards to be shot at, of if a steel skull cap be worn 




THE AUTHOR 
152 



Devilliers Bullet 



153 



under false hair when the object to be shot at is placed 
upon his head. 

It must be remembered, however, that the bullets are 
not as accurate as leaden bullets propelled by powder. 

Never have any other bullets lying near when shooting 
Devilliers bullets, as one of the former might be used by 
mistake and so cause a fatal accident. 




CHAPTER XV 

DUELLING 

'HE mere word duelling ap- 
pears to shallow minds 
a subject for so-called 
"humour," like mothers- 
in-law and cats, but a mo- 
ment's thought will show 
that, in certain circum- 
stances, the duel forms 
the only possible solution 
to a difficulty. And it is 
not an unmixed blessing 
that duelling is abolished in England as "Vanoc" in 
The Referee truly says. "For some reasons," he writes, 
"the abolition of duelling [he means in England] is a 
mistake. Insolent and offensive language is now too 
frequently indulged in with impunity. . . . The best 
rule of all is never to take liberties yourself, and never 
to allow liberties to be taken with you, and to remember 
that self-defence is still the noble art." 

I think, though, that the still nobler art is the defence 
of others, and there are cases — which need not be gone 
into here — when a man must fight. 

154 





THE POSITION OF SOME DUELLISTS AT THE WORD " ATTENTION 



155 



J 56 Art of Revolver Shooting 



One of the reasons for this "humorous" attitude in 
the English mind (it does not exist abroad) is because 
sometimes young men, wishing to advertise themselves, 
or their political ideas, fight duels, all the time never 
intending to hit each other, and in fact intentionally 
firing in the air. 

When two good shots "mean business," a pistol duel 
is a very deadly affair, as is shown by the number of men 
who have been killed in them. 

A duel with swords gives more advantage to a 
younger or a taller man, or to a man in the pink of 
condition, but a pistol duel will enable a much older 
man to hold his own. 

The challenged has the right to chose weapons, and 
if he choose pistols it is understood that the meeting should 
be conducted with single-shot duelling pistols. 

The British public are accustomed to confuse the 
words "pistol" and "revolver," and most pistol duels 
are described as "duels with revolvers" by those not 
understanding such things; but the revolver is not 
recognised as a duelling weapon, and any fight with 
revolvers would on the Continent lead to a trial for murder 
if anyone were killed. 

In challenging, the person considering himself aggrieved 
asks two of his friends to act as his seconds, and these he 
sends to his adversary. The latter at once appoints two 
seconds for himself, and the four seconds then make all 
the necessary arrangements. 

First they call upon a gunmaker — combatants in a 
duel are not allowed to use their own weapons — and two 




THE AUTHOR'S POSITION AT " ATTENTION 



157 



J 58 Art of Revolver Shooting 

single-shot muzzle-loading duelling pistols of regulation 
pattern are chosen. 

In the presence of the seconds these are loaded by 
the gunmaker and put into a case, which is then sealed. 

This case is taken to the duelling ground by the 
gunmaker and the seal is not broken until everything 
else is ready, the reason of course being to prevent 
tampering with the pistols, or loads, or obtaining practice 
with that particular pair of pistols. 

A doctor is present at the duel with all necessary 
appliances. 

On the ground the seconds draw lots for where their 
men are to stand, it being of advantage to have sun and 
wind at one's back, or left rear. 

The distance is twenty-five metres, marked by canes 
stuck in the ground, and the shooters stand facing each 
other. 

When all is in readiness, the seconds break the seal of 
the pistol case, then the director of the duel takes the 
weapons out, holding them by the barrels, one pistol in 
each hand, and presents the butt ends to the duellist to 
whom the lot has fallen to have first choice. The 
other pistol is handed to his adversary. 

If shots are exchanged without result, the duellists 
exchange places for the next shot. 

It is not permissible to try the trigger-pull by cocking 
and lowering the hammer, but about how light or heavy 
the pull is can be ascertained to some extent when cocking. 
A light click indicates a light pull, and a loud click a 
heavier one. 




CORRECT POSITION AT THE MOMENT OF FIRING 



159 



160 j{ r t f Revolver Shooting 

It is usual, especially if the duellists are good shots, 
and if they happen to be very angry with each other, 
to give them a very heavy trigger-pull in order to make 
it more difficult for them to hit each other. Therefore 
it is well always to give a good strong pull back when 
firing, so as to avoid pulling off to the side if you have 
been given a very heavy trigger-pull. 

For the same reason the words of command in such 
cases are given very quickly. This prevents getting aim. 

Finally the duellists cock their pistols, the seconds 
stand clear, and the director of the fight stands midway 
between the duellists and about six metres back of the 
line between them. 

The duellists stand with their right elbows touching 
their right hips, butt of pistol to thigh, and their pistols 
pointing at the ground. 

The director calls: "Attention — Feu! Un — deux — 
trois!" 

If either is not ready at the word "attention," he says 
so, but otherwise after the word "feu" he raises his 
pistol and must fire before the word "trois" is spoken. 

If he does not have his elbow to his hip, and muzzle 
to ground ; or if he raises his pistol or even moves it before 
the word "feu"; or if he fires after the word "trois" 
has been spoken, and he kills his man, he is liable, if 
his adversary's seconds lodge a complaint, to be tried for 
murder. 

The usual speed at which these words are spoken is 
a hundred words to the minute, but, as I have said, the 
director often hurries the words in order to baffle the 



Duelling l61 

duellists and prevent their injuring each other 
fatally. 

Whether the duel should continue if neither com- 
batant is sufficiently injured after the interchange of shots 
to prevent his going on shooting is a matter that the 
seconds have arranged between them before the duel 
begins. It depends chiefly upon the gravity of the reason 
for which the duel is fought. 

The position to stand in, in my opinion, should not 
be quite sideways. 

Of course one should, theoretically, make as small a 
target as possible for one's opponent, and therefore the 
coat should be buttoned close. But whereas if standing 
quite sideways one makes a smaller mark, if hit when in 
that position the wound will probably prove more 
dangerous. 

A bullet which would perforate both lungs of a man 
standing sideways, will most likely go through one lung 
only if he be standing more full face. Several other 
internal organs are also safer when the shooters stand 
full face; by leaning forward the ribs are closer together 
and afford protection to the heart and lungs, also from a 
shooting point of view, one can make much better practice 
when standing more or less facing the object to be hit, 
than when craning one's head round to try and look over 
one's right shoulder, and so hampering one's right arm. 

It is generally considered that one should look as 
dark as possible to one's opponent, and turn up one's 
collar to avoid showing a white mark. But with this I am 
not sure that I quite agree. Personally I should prefer 



1 62 Art of Revolver Shooting 

to shoot at an entirely black target without a white collar 
or white patch anywhere diverting one's eye, unless that 
white was at a place one wanted to hit. 

For instance, if a very bad shot were going to fire at 
me, I should prefer his trying to hit my collar, as he would 
then be more likely to shoot over my head, or to miss me 
by shooting past me, than if he tried to hit me in the 
middle of the body. 

The white collar would, however, be hidden by the 
right hand and pistol as soon as the pistol was raised, if 
aim were taken at an opponent's head. 

The position safest for yourself is to aim at your op- 
ponent's head, and to get on to that position immediately 
after the word "feu," keeping your own head low. 

Your right hand and the pistol-butt protect your 
throat and a good deal of your face and head if you lower 
your face as much as possible. 

Some men stand in the position of lunging in fencing, 
which makes a still smaller target of the body, but then 
this exposes them to a more raking fire, and a shot which 
would only pierce the thigh of the right leg, if the duellist 
were standing upright, might glance along the thigh and 
penetrate the abdomen if he were standing in a lunging 
attitude. 

A level-headed man, however, would never agree to 
fight a duel unless he deemed it justifiable, and then most 
likely his whole attention would be concentrated upon 
killing his opponent, and considerations, of personal safety 
would be neglected ; in the same way that a steeple-chase 
rider thinks only of winning and not of his personal 




PISTOLS BY GASTINNE RENETTE 

I. Muzzle-loading duelling pistol. 2. Muzzle-loading duelling pistol of higher 

finish. 3. Chased muzzle-loading duelling pistol. 4. Sliding-action 

duelling pistol. 5. Higher-finished sliding-action duelling pistol 

W 163 



l6 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

safety — if it is otherwise he is no good as a cross- 
country rider. 

As the great object is to hit an opponent before he 
hits you, — as, if he hits you first, even slightly, he may 
spoil your aim, — it is better to hit him as low as possible, 
provided the bullet strikes high enough to injure him. 

It takes time to raise the pistol to the level of his head, 
or even of his armpit, whereas with practice you can flip 
the wrist up and hit him in the thigh or hip without 
raising the arm at all, and almost before the word 
"Un." 

If you hit him in the thigh it would not be of much use 
in a serious duel, so the hip level is the point to try for. 

An instance of perfect timing was that of a recent 
fatal duel where one man killed the other immediately 
after "feu," before his adversary had time to raise his 
pistol. 

In the report of a certain duel which took place in 
France recently, several of the English papers made 
humorous reference to one of the duellists not firing his 
pistol (he placed it behind his back) at the word "feu." 
The writers seemed to think he had forgotten to fire, 
because, when questioned as to his conduct, he said, 
" J'ai oublie.' ' Of course anyone conversant with duelling 
must have known that by acting thus he meant that he 
did not desire to kill or to wound his adversary. A good 
shot who for any reason did not wish to hit his adversary 
would always put his pistol behind him rather than shoot 
wide and get credit for making a miss. It is more digni- 
fied to do this, if one does not want to shoot an adversary, 



Duelling l6 5 

than to miss on purpose. Moreover, the latter act might 
be misconstrued into an attempt to kill. 

By French law, if a man is killed in a duel, the body- 
must be left where it fell, the police informed at once. 
The police then make an investigation. The adversary 
is arrested and tried subsequently at the Court of Assizes. 
He ought, of course, to stop by the body and give him- 
self up. He and his seconds may be condemned to 
imprisonment. 

Not wanting to kill an adversary is also the reason 
so many duels are bloodless. Men, in the heat of an 
argument, challenge each other. In cooler moments, 
they see that the cause of quarrel was not of sufficient 
importance to warrant their killing, or attempting to 
kill each other. Yet neither likes to apologise lest this 
should look like cowardice; so the two exchange a shot, 
and both miss on purpose. 

In this connection I may mention that the American 
law does not apply in the case of a duel fought by a 
citizen of the United States outside the geographical limits 
of that country ; for, according to Mr. R. Newton Crane, 
no offence is committed by the fact that an American 
citizen has participated in a duel beyond the jurisdiction 
of the United States. The citizenship of the combatant 
is, in such circumstances, immaterial. 

On the other hand [he continues] sending, knowingly bear- 
ing, or accepting a challenge, in England or America, renders the 
sender, bearer, or accepter liable to punishment by the laws of 
England or America as the case may be, whether the duel is sub- 
sequently fought or not, and whether it is fought in England or 



1 66 Aft f Revolver Shooting 

America or abroad, and whether the offending party is an English- 
man, American, or a foreigner. Provoking a man to send a chal- 
lenge is also an indictable offence. 

The law applicable to the punishment for actually fighting the 
duel is, on the other hand, the law of the place where the duel is 
fought, and that law only applies to the offence. 

Provocation, however great, is no excuse, though it might weigh 
with the Court in fixing the punishment. Under the English law 
the punishment for sending, bearing, or accepting a challenge is fine 
or imprisonment without hard labour, or both. Each of the States 
of the United States has penalties for the offence, which though 
differing in detail are practically the same in substance as those 
provided by the English law. 




CHAPTER XVI 



THE .22 CALIBRE SINGLE-SHOT PISTOL 




HE .22 calibre long-bar- 
relled single-shot pistol is 
used for target and small 
game shooting. 

There are several 
American and Continen- 
tal makes of the .22 cal- 
ibre single-shot pistol. I 
give illustrations of some 
of them, but they are 
all more or less similar. 
In the United States these pistols are used for target 
shooting up to fifty yards, also for taking out on shooting 
trips where the rifle is used for big game, and the .22 pistol 
for shooting small game for food where a shotgun would 
alarm more important game. 

On the Continent it is little used, but the Olympic 
Games fifty-yards pistol championship led to a certain 
amount of practice with it, as it is the weapon for that 
range. 

Up to sixteen metres I consider the .4 calibre duel- 
ling pistol (muzzle-loader) the most accurate of all pistols 

167 



1 68 Art of Revolver Shooting 

for stationary target shooting, as the slightly greater 
accuracy possessed by the .22 calibre, shooting long rifle 
ammunition, is more than counterbalanced by the 




PISTOLS BY GASTINNE-RENETTE 

I. Shooting Smith & Wesson, .44 cartridge. 2. Modified Ira Paine to shoot 

.44 or .22 ammunition. 3. Saloon pistol, .22 bore, weighing 

and balancing like a duelling pistol 



larger hole cut by the duelling pistol, a .22 bullet 
often missing the bull, whereas the larger ball cuts 
into it. 



The .22 Calibre Single-Shot Pistol l6 9 

From twenty yards upward the .22 beats both the 




WURFFLEIN PISTOL 

10-inch barrel; weight, 2 lbs. 2 oz.; .22 cal. 




SMITH & WESSON PISTOL 

10-inch barrel; weight 1 lb. 8 3-4 oz. ; .22 cal. 




STEVENS PISTOL, GOULD MODEL 

I O-inch barrel; weight 1 lb. 12 oz.; .22 cal. 



l 7° Art of Revolver Shooting 

duelling pistol and the revolver in the order named; at 




STEVENS DIAMOND MODEL PISTOL 

6-inch barrel; weight, S 3-4 oz.; .22 cal. 




.22 SMITH & WESSON PISTOL WITH INTERCHANGEABLE .32 BARREL 



fifty yards the .22 comes first, the revolver is a bad 
second, and the duelling pistol is nowhere. 



The .22 Calibre Single-Shot Pistol l l l 



The .22 is often made with a rear sight capable of 




HOW TO HOLD THE GASTINNE-RENETTE MODIFICATION OF THE STEVENS, 
SHOWING TRIGGER WELL FORWARD 




STEVENS OFF-HAND TARGET 



elevation and of lateral movement by a screw adjustment. 
It is always made with a very light trigger-pull. 




STEVENS " LORD " 





172 



The .22 Calibre Single-Shot Pistol J 73 

The trigger is very close to the grip so that one has to 
pull with the second or even with the third joint of the 
trigger-finger. 




STEVENS "TIP-UP " 




Peep Kear Globe Front 

STEVENS " DIAMOND " 



This is, in my opinion, a very grave fault. I have not 
found any pistol of this calibre with the trigger sufficiently 
far forward to suit me, but I do not take enough interest 
in a .22 pistol to have one specially made. 



J 74 Art of Revolver Shooting 

It is only a toy, and except for a special competition, 
such as the one at the Olympic Games, it is not worth 
practising with. For ladies, however, it is well suited on 
account of its small cartridge. 





y*B\ 



BISLEY PRIZE CERTIFICATE 



175 



CHAPTER XVII 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION MEETING 
AT BISLEY 

THE REVOLVER COMPETITIONS 




JsjN re-writing the following chapters on 
Bisley, from the first edition of this 
work, I have been confronted with 
so many difficulties that I have been 
almost compelled to abandon it. 

In former years a few of us en- 
thusiasts at Bisley drew up a series of 
competitions for rapid firing, moving 
targets, and so on, which were of 
the utmost use in developing good 
shots at practical revolver shooting. 

Now, unfortunately, owing to lack of support in such 
competitions, they have all been dropped out of the 
programme, and only the stationary targets are retained, 
what is now called the "disappearing target" being shot 
at without lowering the arm between shots and having 
become in consequence practically a stationary -target 
competition as it allows six seconds for each shot instead 
of three as formerly. 

I therefore had either to cut out my instructions as to 

rapid firing, and shooting at moving targets, so as to bring 

176 




SOME OF THE AUTHOR'S CHAMPIONSHIP BADGES 



177 



J 7 8 Art of Revolver Shooting 

the work up to present Bis'ey conditions, or else retain 
them as instruction for revolver shooting for home 
practice only. 

I have decided on the latter course, the more so as the 
"disappearing" competition is the best of practice for 
competitions with the duelling pistol at the Paris Pistolet 
Club and for the rapid firing series for the revolver 
competitions at the same club. The only difference is 
that the trigger-pull can be lightened and the powder 
charge reduced, both making the shooting easier and 
pleasanter. 

Pull of trigger is the principal difficulty in revolver 
competitions at Bisley. I think the Bisley regulation pull 
(four pounds, minimum) is too heavy for getting the best 
shooting out of a revolver. It means having a pull of at 
least four and a half pounds, so as to be sure that it does 
not get too light during the shooting, and it discourages 
many by unnecessarily increasing the difficulty of shoot- 
ing, and necessitating a great deal of training to avoid 
jerking off the aim. A minimum of three pounds would, 
in my opinion, be a much better pull. A man accustomed 
to lugging at a heavy pull is also much more likely to 
" let off " by accident ; whereas a man who is used to a light 
pull keeps his finger off the trigger until he means to shoot. 

I also venture to think, although I know I am in the 
minority, that the National Rifle Association (and, in 
consequence, all the affiliated English revolver clubs) 
is mistaken in making rules excluding light charges, and 
in confining competitions to the use of ' ' Military re- 
volvers" only, their definition of "Military" excluding 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley J 79 

some revolvers and ammunition which are regulation 
in other countries. This deters many from taking up 
revolver shooting, as it is not everyone who cares, or who 
is physically able, to stand the "punishment" of a heavily- 
charged large-bore revolver; and it does away with the 
niceties of accurate work in shooting, reducing these 
competitions — to borrow an expression from the boxing 
ring — to mere slogging matches, and makes them a 
test of physical endurance rather than of practical skill. 
The light-charge "Any revolver" competitions corre- 
sponded to the Match Rifle competitions, and were very 
useful also for experimental purposes, but these have been 
discontinued the last few years. 

On the Continent, on the other hand, in all competi- 
tions, even a weak, delicate man can shoot in comfort and 
do really accurate work, as a light charge and trigger-pull 
are there allowed. For duelling, a light charge is used; 
and a small calibre, with a charge giving very little 
recoil, is regulation in all armies but the British army. 

BISLEY TARGETS AND MARKING 

REVOLVER 

Distance, 20 yards. — Target, circular, on a square card, sub- 
divided as follows : 

Bull's-eye 2 inches in diameter, counting 7 marks. 



3 inches diameter 


ring \ inch wide 


6 ' 


1 it a 
4? 


" 3 " 


It t 


5 ' 


6i " 


« j « 


tl t 


' 4 ' 


9 " 


" T 1 " 

1 4 


it t 


3 ' 


12 " 


'< T l " 


tl t 


2 ' 


Corners not to count. 







i So Art of Revolver Shooting 

Distance, 50 yards. — Target, circular, on a square card, sub- 
divided as follows: 

Bull's-eye 4 inches in diameter, counting 7 marks. 
6 inches diameter ring 1 inch wide " 6 " 

9 " " " il " " " 5 " 

13 " " " 2 " " " 4 

18 " " " i\ " " " 3 " 

24 " " " 3 " " " 2 " 

Corners not to count. 

TWENTY- YARDS STATIONARY TARGET. (KNOWN AS " THE 
SHORT RANGE SERIES") 

Competitions at this range are more numerous than 
at any other. Pool shooting also takes place at this 
range. 

I have already described how to stand and shoot at a 
stationary target. There are a few points to be observed, 
however, which specially apply to this range when shoot- 
ing at Bisley. Before competing at any one of the 
limited-entry competitions it is well to be sure that you 
are shooting up to your proper form, as mistakes cannot 
be corrected after once commencing. 

Personally I think it best (if shooting every day or 
on most of the ten days) not to enter in a limited-entry 
competition until after the first two days of the meeting, 
as one gets steadied down by then and grows more 
accustomed to the surroundings. 

As sighting varies from day to day, and even from 
hour to hour, it may be as well to have a pool shoot for 
sighting purposes first; but I personally never do so, as I 



National Rifle Association at Bisley lSl 

think it is a pity to chance wasting a good score in pool. 
The moment you have "found the spot," leave off pool; 
do not stop to finish a score. 

I prefer doing my sighting on an "unlimited-entry" 
competition ticket, so that in case I make a "good score" 
that score is not wasted. 

I have often had a man come to me to show me a 
"possible," and when I have congratulated him and 
asked him in what competition it was made, he has an- 
swered: "Oh, only pool; I have been getting my hand in, 
and am now going in for competition." When I saw him 






Fig. i Fig. 2 Fig. 3 

webley man-stopping bullet 

Fig. I. Bullet and case before being fired. Fig. 2. Bullet after it has 

entered the flesh. Fig. 3. Section of bullet after expansion 

later, and asked him how he had got on he has said: 
"Gone all to pieces; I had shot myself out at pool." So, 
unless a man is "possible hunting," or a "gunmaker's 
shooter," and wants to have diagrams of easily "pos- 
sibles" published in the papers, my advice is to leave pool 
alone and try to make "possibles" where they count 
as records and require nerve to make. Unfortunately, 
the general public does not differentiate between these 
two classes of "possibles," and thinks them equally 
meritorious. 

The morning, from 9 to 11, is the best time for 



1 82 Art of Revolver Shooting 

shooting; and then, perhaps, late in the evening. One 
should watch for a good time when the light is favourable ; 
often the wind will drop late in the evening, half an hour 
before "gunfire," after blowing hard all day. 

There is often a good light after rain. Personally I 
rather like shooting in the rain, if there is no wind, 
and have made some of my best shots in it. The 
light is generally good; there is no glare on the 
target; and bullets make very big, ragged holes on a 
wet target; and sometimes a shot which would not 
cut the bull on a dry target may do so on a wet one, 
owing to its making a larger hole. 1 The Webley "Man- 
stopping" bullets make very big, "clean" holes, and there 
is a new flat-ended bullet made which punches holes in 
the target as clean as a railway ticket punch, but it key- 
holes at fifty yards. 

If you have a target with a doubtful shot, that is to 
say one for which you think you are entitled to a higher 
count than the range officer gives you, do not touch it, 
or thrust anything (your finger or a pencil) into the hole 
to demonstrate that the shot cuts into the bull's-eye or 
the line you claim. If you push anything into the hole 
you will spoil its outline and destroy all evidence of the 
point at which the bullet did cut. In doubtful cases the 
range officer puts a bullet of the same calibre (which has 
been pushed with a rod through a revolver barrel pre- 
viously) into the hole, and examines it whilst in this 
position with a magnifying-glass, or uses a piece of trans- 

1 At Bisley and in France a bullet must cut the bull to count; at the 
English clubs if it touches it scores a bull. 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley l8 3 

parent tulle with a bullet-hole outlined on it which he 
places over your bullet-hole. 

Accept the range officer's decision as final; never 
protest against any decision he comes to. 

Look at the target to see that it has no bullet-holes in 
it before you begin to shoot; and refuse to shoot at a 
patched target, except at pool. A patch may fall off a 
shot made by a previous competitor and confuse your 
score, besides making the target indistinct and throwing 
doubt on a record score if you should happen to make 
one on such a target. See also that the bull's-eye is black ; 
some are badly printed, and the bull grey and indistinct. 

Shoot very slowly and deliberately. There is no 
hurry. The time limit of two minutes would be ample 
within which to fire twenty-four shots — and you have to 
fire only six. 

If you are dissatisfied with your aim, or your arm is 
getting tired, or a gust of wind comes, put the revolver 
down without firing. Look down on the grass to rest 
your eyes, and wipe your hands ; a little sawdust is a good 
thing to rub them with on hot days. 

When it is gusty, putting up the revolver just as you 
think a lull is coming, instead of waiting for the lull, gives 
you a better chance of being "up" when the lull does 
come, and you can then "snap" the shot before the next 
gust. 

If you have to shoot in a very high wind — as in a match, 
or in shooting off a tie — it is best to "snap" your shots 
(see chapter on Rapid-firing Series) and not try to hold 
against the wind. 



1 84 Art of Revolver Shooting 

If a shot strikes a little too high, or too low, or too 
much to either side, aim "off" the bull the next shot to 
correct it. 

Do not keep altering the amount you see of your front 
sight if you hit too high or too low ; you will never make a 
good score in that way. If you are out half an inch at 
"X o'clock," and you had a good "let-off," aim your next 
shot at half an inch off "IV o'clock"; if you hit half an 
inch above the bull at "XII o'clock," aim an inch below 
" VI o ' clock ' ' with your next shot ; do not take a ' ' coarser ' ' 
sight. This is where a practical shot has the advantage 
over a mere "target shot." 

If a shot is in the bull (I assume that at twenty yards 
you can easily see shots in, or partly in, the "white" — 
personally I can see them at fifty yards) and you are not 
sure of its exact locality, examine it with your glass. 

If you are "holding" exceptionally steady, and have 
shot well into the bull, though not actually central, do 
not aim differently to try to get the actual centre with the 
next shot; as a rule, if you are anything more than half 
in the bull, it is better to let well alone and "hold" the 
same as before. I remember on one occasion I had five 
shots in one ragged hole at "V o'clock" in the bull on the 
sliding target, and for fear of putting my last shot through 
the same hole and having it counted as a miss, I tried to 
hit the bull at "IX o'clock," and clear of the group. I 
went just outside the bull. 

If you have several bullets in one ragged hole, it is 
advisable, if there be time, to draw the range officer's 
attention to this before you fire the next shot, so that 



National Rifle Association at Bisley l8 5 

in case you go into the same hole or group again he may 
record it and not think it a miss. If he watches the target 
whilst you shoot, through his glasses, he will see where 
your bullet goes, even if you go into the group. 

Do not lend anyone a revolver you care about, any 
more than you would a horse. 

At stationary targets, and at those only, it is advisable 
to use both hands in cocking. In cocking, if there is not a 
distinct click, or if the action feels "woolly" or soft, put 
it back at half-cock, then open the pistol and see what is 
the matter. Most likely a bit of fouling, or a piece of 
metal from a cartridge or a bullet, or a cartridge with too 
thick a head or with a protruding cap, is the cause. 

When a revolver is at full-cock, take the cylinder 
between the forefinger and thumb of the left hand, still 
holding the stock in the right hand and keeping the muzzle 
towards the target, and gently try to revolve the cylinder 
towards the right. This, at least, is the normal direction, 
though some makes of double-action revolve to the left. 
You will, perhaps once in a dozen times, find that it goes 
over an appreciable amount till it locks. 

Any revolver, even the best, may sometimes not 
bring the cylinder round quite true to the barrel; and, if 
it does not coincide, the shot will not be accurate, owing 
to the bullet not going into the barrel true, and thus 
getting a small shaving taken off its side. A bit of 
fouling, metal from cartridges or from a bullet, "proud 
cap," or thick cartridge-head may cause this. By at- 
tending to the cocking in the elaborate way I have indi- 
cated, this cause of inaccuracy is avoided. (This is very 



1 86 Art of Revolver Shooting 

important in cases where a miss would be dangerous: as 
when shooting objects off someone's head, or those which 
are held in the hand or mouth ; or for the last shot on which 
everything depends in a match or a record score.) Also, 
every time you open the revolver, look to see whether the 
caps have been hit absolutely true in the centre. 

By my way of cocking, even if the revolver is not 
acting quite perfectly, the chambers ought to come true. 
If they do not, clean it very carefully. If, in spite of 
this, the caps are still hit on the side, it is useless to con- 
tinue with that revolver until the maker has put it right. 
The above remarks do not apply to the new Smith & 
Wesson solid-frame revolvers, which have a special device 
to ensure correct alignment between cylinder and barrel. 

Shoot with the smallest charge, lightest bullet, and 
largest calibre the rules allow, as it is easier to shoot with 
a small than with a "kicking" charge, and the bullet of 
larger calibre is more apt to cut into the bull. This ap- 
plies to all competitions at ranges not over twenty yards ; 
beyond that distance a big charge or small calibre is more 
accurate. (See chapter on Fifty-yards Target.) 

Smokeless powder will, of course, be the powder of the 
future; but I have not got such accuracy out of any 
smokeless, except the French, as I have with black. 
They give more "unaccountables." But for rapid firing, 
smokelessness and less recoil more than counterbalance 
the comparative want of regularity, even with the other 
makes. 

I do not like too small a front sight. I think that one 
which, in aiming, looks about a quarter the diameter of 



National Rifle Association at Bisley l8 7 

the bull, is best. The semi-circular " U " of the hind sight 
should be wide enough to enable you to see all round the 
bead of the front sight. 

In revolver shooting the chief difficulty is in "holding" 
and "squeezing off" without disturbing your aim. There 
is no need to strain your eyes with a microscopic front 
sight when shooting at so large a bull as two inches at 
twenty yards. 

Another fault of too fine a front sight is that it is 
liable to get bent, just enough to spoil your aim, yet not 
enough to be noticeable until too late. If you try to 
straighten it, the odds are that you break it off and then 
have to waste a day or more in getting another fixed, 
which most likely does not suit when done. 

The rules at Bisley as to sights vary from year to year. 
I have one revolver with a bead front sight on a very 
strong stalk, which I was for several years allowed to use 
and win with as a military revolver ; it was in subsequent 
years declared "unmilitary" and unfit for rough usage; 
and then it was again allowed to be used. The front sight 
already shown, which is a patent of my own, has never 
yet been objected to under any rule; and, personally, I 
would as soon use it as any bead sight, except for stage 
shooting. Indeed, I prefer it to a "bead" in a bad light 
or wind. There are also rules as to "no screw adjust- 
ment"; "sights must be fixed," etc. 

I always have my Bisley sights made solid with the 
revolver, without any screws, and have some made to 
shoot higher, others lower, each on a separate revolver. 
If I find that the light, or my shooting, does not suit one 



1 88 Art of Revolver Shooting 

sort of sight, I take another revolver. I have some fifteen 
revolvers prepared in this way. 

The permission to have a hind sight adjustable by- 
being hammered to one side is worse than useless. The 
sight works loose, gets knocked askew, and when you 
begin shooting you find it is constantly shifting, and spoil- 
ing your shooting. I do not call it by any means a practi- 
cal military sight although the rules consider it so. If 
you have only one revolver for Bisley have it with my 
front sight, sighted to your normal or average shooting, 
at twenty or fifty yards, to whichever you decide chiefly to 
confine yourself, and both back and front sights made 
fixtures. It is best sighted for fifty and you can aim a 
little low at twenty yards. 

I take it for granted that you have your revolvers, 
sights, and ammunition all in perfect order before you 
come to Bisley. This may seem an unnecessary remark, 
but I have noticed the average revolver-shot come more 
or less unprepared. He starts pool shooting, to see if 
the new sights he ordered suit him, "as I have not tried 
them before "; wants to buy ammunition on the spot, or 
uses that provided by the Association; or even wants to 
hire, or borrow, a revolver! 

The record Twelve-shot score at this range is mine, of 
eighty-three out of a possible eighty-four. For six shots, 
almost everyone who can shoot at all has made more or 
less "possibles." I have some twenty-four, made in 
competitions, but I do not trouble to make "possibles" 
at pool. 

In my opinion, if it is thought advisable to have a 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley l8 9 

twenty-yards stationary target, the present one is too 
easy; the bull ought either to be reduced to one inch, or a 
one-inch ring "carton" made in the two-inch bull, 
counting eight points, if a one-inch bull is deemed too 
small to aim at. 

Wear nailed boots, or those with corrugated rubber 
soles, so as not to slip. The rubber, however, is rather apt 
to get cut in standing on spent cartridges. A broad- 
brimmed cowboy hat, or sombrero, is the best headgear, 
except in a wind, as it keeps the glare off your eyes. I 
took to using these years ago, and now I see them in use 
by nearly all shooting men, as well as in the English army, 
though (unlike in the U. S. army) often rendered less 
serviceable by having the brim looped up on one side. I 
keep some of various widths of brim, and use the one most 
suitable for the occasion. Also a Swedish leather jacket 
is very good when it gets chilly, as it is very light and 
does not hamper your right arm as a heavier coat would 
do. If you do not possess one, an extra waistcoat will 
serve, as this will leave your arm free. An overcoat or 
mackintosh hampers your right arm. You are freer in 
a flannel shirt with turn-down collar, loose round the 
wrists, and no braces. A silk handkerchief tied loosely 
round the neck, cowboy fashion, keeps the sun off the 
nape of your neck. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AT BISLEY 

{Continued) 

DISAPPEARING TARGET (KNOWN AS "THE BOBBER ") 

HIS target, which has the 
two-inch bull's-eye, like 
the twenty-yards station- 
ary target, appears and 
disappears at intervals 
of three seconds — three 
seconds in sight and 
three seconds invisible — 
and is shot at from a 
distance of twenty yards* 
The rules used to forbid the revolver being raised from 
the firing-table before the target appeared; and it had to 
be lowered to the table after each shot. The present rules 
allow the revolver to be pointed at the spot where the 
target will be, which entirely destroys all interest in this 
competition and reduces it practically to a stationary 
target competition. The disappearing target practice 
is good also for the duelling practice described in a later 
chapter. My record targets, therefore, made under the 
old rules must not be compared with those since made 
under easier rules. 

190 




National Rifle Association at Bisley x 9i 

Shooting in this competition used to be the ground- 
work of all the competitions other than those at stationary 
targets ; so I shall go very fully into the way of becoming 
proficient at this, as the other competitions should then 
become comparatively easy. I therefore retain this 
chapter from the earlier edition of this book, although it 
no longer applies to Bisley. 

In order to do the best possible work, you ought for 
practice to have an exact copy of the disappearing 
mechanism used at Bisley; also (this is very important), 
the range I should orientate as at Bisley and have a back- 
ground of the same colour. 

At Bisley at one time in the afternoon the shooting is 
against the setting sun ; at which time the wise shot takes 
a rest and lets others waste their entries, as it is im- 
possible to make good shooting under these circumstances. 
By having the points of the compass the same as at 
Bisley, you will soon find out which sort of light suits you 
best, and at what hour of the day it comes. Personally, 
I find the light from 9 to about 11 a.m. (during which 
time it is more or less over one's left shoulder) the best 
for shooting in July. As the sun comes round, you will 
find that the point to aim at varies gradually as the light 
strikes the front sight more or less on the side. 

As the sights may not, by the rules, be moved laterally, 
it is as well to have several revolvers for each competition, 
with the sights set to make the revolver shoot more or 
less to the right or left; also some sighted lower than 
others to use as the light varies. 

Variations in elevation, owing to varying intensities 



J 9 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

of sunlight, can also be remedied by having several pairs 
of spectacles with plain glass (unless, of course, you need 
optical glasses to see clearly with), of different tints of 
smoke or orange colour. You can then, when you find a 
certain strength of light best for your shooting, keep to 
this strength artificially, whatever the real light may be, 
putting on glasses of a shade sufficient to modify the light 
as required. The glasses should have round, and not 
oval, frames, and these should be a good two inches in 
diameter, so that the rims do not interfere with your 
view. Most opticians make the glasses too small in 
diameter. Large, round goggles, with plain window- 
glass, are a great protection against particles of burnt 
powder, especially in a head wind; and, after a hard 
morning's shooting, the surface of the glass will be found 
covered with adhesive black spots. It is as well to have 
one pair of plain white glass (i.e., ordinary window-glass) , 
and to wear either these or one of the smoked or orange 
pairs whenever shooting or even looking on at shooting, 
as the powder blowing back constantly into the eyes 
irritates them ; and a sudden dab in the eye may even spoil 
a score by making one flinch at a critical moment. I 
have known a man to be for several days incapacitated 
from shooting through getting his eyes inflamed owing to 
smoke and powder blowing back into them in a head 
wind, and from the irritating fumes of the nitro-powders ; 
and the look of many competitors' eyes towards the end 
of the shooting shows how it affects them. A solution of 
boracic acid and rosewater (of course you must get a 
chemist to dispense the right quantities) is a very good 



J 94 Art of Revolver Shooting 

thing to bathe the eyes with during and after a hard 
day's shooting, and it makes the eyes feel very comfortable 
the next day. 

Also it is important to protect the ear-drums from the 
constant banging, else you get your ears "singing" and 
finally become more or less deaf. A revolver is worse 
than a rifle or a gun in this respect, owing to the shortness 
of the barrel and the consequent proximity of the con- 
cussion to the ear. The left ear is more apt to suffer than 
the right, which is more sheltered by the arm, and a 
neighbour's shot, for which the ear is unprepared, affects 
it more than one's own. This is particularly noticeable 
if your neighbour stands slightly behind you. 

Some use cotton-wool in the ears. I find it apt to 
mix with the natural wax in the ears, a small amount of the 
cotton-wool remaining behind each time the wool is 
removed; and, what is more, it does not sufficiently 
deaden the sound. For .practising in private, a pair of 
small down pillows tied over the ears deaden the sound 
best, but these cannot be worn in public. Messrs. Lynch, 
chemists, of Aldersgate Street, London, make a very 
good sound-deadener which I always use when shooting. 
It consists of a hollow rubber flesh-coloured plug, filled 
with sawdust. This reduces the sound of a revolver shot 
to a slight thump, like the blow of a fist on a table, and 
is practically invisible when worn — much less conspicuous, 
at any rate, than white cotton-wool. It will also prevent, 
your neighbour's shooting from disturbing you. Men 
whose ears are very sensitive should take some pre- 
caution against cold when these sound-deadeners are 



National Rifle Association at Bisley J 95 

removed. 1 The concussion of revolvers, bad at all 
times, is of course aggravated by the use of the heavy 
military ammunition obligatory at Bisley, as well as by 
the deafening echoes from the wood partition of the 
stall in which competitors have to shoot. It is said 
that keeping the mouth open moderates the concussion, 




AUTHOR S BEST ON RECORD SCORE. 20- YARDS DISAPPEARING TARGET 

"Military " Target, Wimbledon, 1888; .45 Smith & Wesson Revolver, 
Eley's Ammunition. (Full size.) 

but the remedy is surely worse than the disease. I 
should think the caps with projections in front of the 
ears, used by racing motorists, might be useful as 
sound- deadeners . 



1 Excellent ear protectors or sound-deadeners in several sizes are also made 
by Messrs. Mayer & Metzler, of 71 Portland Street, London, and by Mr. J. A. 
R. Elliott, of New York. 



196 Art of Revolver Shooting 

The action of cocking, particularly in rapid firing, 
with a single-action revolver, throws a great strain on the 
muscles of the thumb, and the tendon running over the 
second joint of the thumb is apt to be displaced if sub- 
jected to too much work without preparatory practice. 
The thumb and forefinger may be strengthened by the 
use of a small apparatus that will, on the principle of the 
old-fashioned well, lift a weight of a few pounds, operated 
by the thumb and forefinger with the same action that 
would wind a keyless watch. The wrist and elbow are 
also apt to get sprained if got into work suddenly without 
previous training, but my way of holding these throws 
very little strain on the wrist. I have several walking- 
sticks of gradually increasing weight, up to three pounds, 
which I carry for a few weeks, before any important 
match. For some men, those more particularly with a 
tendency to varicose veins, even the long standing 
about may be bad, and care should be taken not to 
catch cold when shooting in a wind, or in the evening 
following a hot day. 

To return to the target, if you cannot get a copy of 
the Bisley disappearing-target mechanism, the next best 
thing is to have the target hinge over and be brought up 
again by some mechanical means. If this is not practi- 
cable, a stationary target may be made to answer, as I 
shall presently show. 

My reason for wanting the actual Bisley arrangement 
is because that comes up with a jerk (some of the men 
operating it are very jerky), and the target "wobbles" 
for a fraction of a second, both just as it gets upright and 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley l 97 

just before it disappears, and this is apt to disconcert 
anyone not used to it. 

Next, get a metronome, with bell attachment. Set 
it to beat half-seconds (be very particular to get the time 
absolutely correct) , and set the bell to ring at every sixth 
beat. You have now intervals of three seconds marked 
with a "ring" at the end of each. Count the beats to 
yourself when the metronome is working: "One, two, 
three, four, five, six"; "one, two, three," etc. 

Get your man to work the lever which actuates the 
target (the lever in every case being a yard or two behind 
you, so that there is no danger of shooting the man or of 
burning his eyes with the side flash from the chambers 
of the revolver). Let him, at the stroke of the bell, 
bring up the target sharply, so that it comes with a bang, 
and lower it at the next ring in the same way, and keep 
it down till the next ring, then jerk it up, and so on; 
jerking it as roughly as the mechanism will allow. 

If you have to practise on a stationary target, pretend 
to yourself that it disappears at each alternate ring of the 
metronome. The firing-point must be like the Bisley 
one; it will not do to stand with the revolver hanging at 
your side; it must rest on a ledge the same height as at 
Bisley, or else your practice will be useless for Bisley, as 
quite a different way of working the muscles and resting 
them between shots is in use in the two styles of shooting, 
and it takes less time to "come up" from a ledge than 
when the arm is hanging by the side. Owing to the slope 
of the ground at Bisley, some of the ledges are higher than 
others ; choose the one that suits you best, and have your 



198 Art of Revolver Shooting 

practice ledge that height; and, when shooting at Bisley, 
do so from the ledge you have previously chosen. 

Stand squarely, well behind this ledge. You will 
only get disqualified if you get into the way of resting 
the lower part of your body against the ledge; or even if 
you stand close to it and your coat happens to hang in 
front; or if you happen to have a "corporation" some 
competitor may have you disqualified as resting against 
the ledge. 

The position of the legs and body is as for the twenty- 
yards stationary target, except that the rod which works 
the target is best kept between the feet, and these have 
to be a little wider apart. (N.B. — If you are a short 
man, it is better to stand to one side of the rod.) 

Stretch your arm out to its full length, and, holding 
the revolver with the sights uppermost, rest the lower side 
of the barrel lightly against the ledge. The part of the 
barrel adjacent to the chamber is the part to rest on the 
ledge, as it is less likely to slip. There is a notch between 
the barrel and lower part of the frame of the revolver, 
and when this is resting on the edge of the table, and the 
arm is straight, then you are standing at the right distance 
from the table. 

If you have to stretch too much or to lean forward, 
move slightly closer until you are comfortable; if your 
arm is bent, move backward till it comes straight. (All 
this is done with an empty revolver.) 

Now stand in this position, watching the target go up 
and down, and counting all the while, "One, two, three." 
etc., to yourself, till you get the rhythm of the thing. 



National Rifle Association at Bisley x 99 

Keep your eyes all the time fixed on the bull's-eye when 
it is vertical to you; do not follow it down with your eyes; 
but keep a mental picture of it, while it is away, on the 
background. You will gradually be able to know exactly 
where it will be, and when it will be there, and you will 
then be able to aim at the imaginary spot ; so that when 
the target appears the sights will not have to be shifted 
to the bull's-eye but the bull's-eye will come to the sights. 

Now, cock the revolver, of course using only your 
right thumb, and not shifting your left hand, body, or 
revolver in the slightest. 

(If you cannot do this neatly, cock the revolver first, 
and then "set" yourself at the ledge.) 

Now, at the word "one," slowly (i.e., without hurry or 
jerk) bring your arm up, quite straight, till the revolver is 
level with your eye, and you are looking through the sights. 

If you have been following the above directions care- 
fully, you will find you are aiming at the bottom edge 
of the bull's-eye, without having had to shift your hand 
or to align the sights ; the sights and also the target have, 
in fact, "come up" to your eye, not your eye to them. 
The speed with which you raise your arm should bring 
the sights touching the bottom edge of the bull at the 
word " two " ; but it is better, at first, to be slower; as long 
as you get the sights touching the bull before it disap- 
pears, it will do — for the present. At the word "six" 
lower the revolver to the table, but keep your eyes on the 
imaginary spot at which the "bull" disappeared. Keep 
the revolver down while you count six, and then raise it 
as before. After a few minutes of this drill, begin to 



200 A r t J~ Revolver Shooting 

squeeze the trigger slightly while the revolver is resting 
against the ledge. With practice you will be able to 
regulate the squeeze so that it will require only half a 
pound more pressure to fire the revolver. Then as you 
lift the revolver, gradually tighten the squeeze, and keep 
gradually tightening it, never diminishing the pressure, but 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. 20-YARDS DISAPPEARING TARGET 

North London Rifle Club, May 29, 1895; .45 Smith & Wesson Revolver, 
U. M. C. Ammunition. (Full size.) 

not increasing it if your aim is getting wrong, and begin- 
ning to increase it again as you correct your aim. If you 
are increasing the squeeze properly, you will find, just as 
your aim is perfect, and a fraction of time before the word 
"six," the hammer will have fallen and you will not have 
jerked or moved off your aim. 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 201 

The instant the hammer has fallen, cock quietly with 
your right thumb, and lower your revolver to the table 
as before. I mean it to be understood that all cocking 
must be done with one movement of the right thumb, 
the finger well clear of the trigger so as not to break or 
wear the sear-notch, and the left arm, left hand, and body 
not moved in any way, as already illustrated. After you 
have done this a few times, and have confidence, you may 
load several chambers of the revolver, having exploded, 
or empty, cartridges in the other chambers, so as not to 
injure the nose of the hammer or the mainspring. The 
cartridges, loaded and unloaded, should be put in in 
irregular order, and the barrel spun round, so that you do 
not know when you have a loaded one to fire. 

Now, go through the same drill as before ; most likely, 
if the first cartridge is an empty one, you will be surprised 
to find you jerked it off instead of squeezing, owing to 
fear of the recoil; but if this is so, expecting your next 
shot to be also an empty cartridge, you will give a nice, 
smooth, gradual "let-off," with the result that you will 
get a bull, or be close to it. The following shot, in con- 
sequence of your being too eager, will almost certainly 
be a very wild one, most likely below the target. This 
is caused by jerking the trigger, which results in bobbing 
the muzzle down. It is curious that, contrary to the 
usual idea that in firing quickly with the revolver one 
is prone to "shoot over," the exact reverse is the case, 
and that snatching at the trigger generally gives a low 
left shot. With a duelling pistol, owing to the different 
way of holding, the miss is generally to the right. I 



202 Art of Revolver Shooting 

have my revolvers for rapid-firing competitions sighted 
to shoot higher than the others, to counteract this. 

After a little of this sort of practice, you can get to 
loading all the chambers. Now the great thing is "time." 
Time and shoot like a machine. At Bisley one sees 
men fire one shot directly the target appears; the next 
too late — after the target has begun to go down; and, 
whenever a shot goes wide, they dance about, stamp, or 
swear, and shift their position constantly, half raise the 
pistol and lower it again, and more antics follow in the 
same fashion. A man who shoots in this style may as 
well go home, for all the prizes he will win. I never 
trouble to look at his target; seeing his "form" tells me 
what his target must look like. 

By your constant practice with the metronome, you 
ought to get the "time" so impressed on your mind that 
you could work the target at the proper intervals, without 
any metronome to indicate the time. Your hand "comes 
up ' ' simultaneously with the target ; you fire just before it 
disappears (some of my highest possibles were made 
with the target just on the "wobble" of disappearing as 
I fired each shot) ; every instant must be utilised for the 
aim, and there must be no hurry or flurry. In fact, you 
become a "workman." 

Do not get into the trick of "coming up" too soon 
before the target appears. There is nothing to be gained 
by it, and you might be disqualified. As I said above, the 
new Bisley rules allow you to "come up" when you like 
or even to keep up, and this does away with all neces- 
sity of timing or swing and spoils the use of the 



National Rifle Association at Bisley 20 3 

competition. If a shot goes wrong, or there is a 
misfire — you are allowed another shot for a misfire — 
keep on just as though nothing had happened; pay no 
attention to the number of shots you have fired in the 
score, or how many more have to "go." I have often 
started to "come up" again for a shot, not knowing that 
my sixth had already "gone," so mechanical had my 
shooting become. 

In practising, never fire if you feel you are "off" the 
bull; better "come down" with the target, without 
shooting, and fire the next time the target "comes up." 
In this way you will perhaps "come up" ten times for 
your six shots; but you will have good shots for those 
that you have fired, and will be encouraged much more 
and get better practice than by firing a lot of wild shots, 
which, as you fired, you knew were badly aimed. 

At Bisley I used to find this the easiest competition 
of any, more so, if there is no wind, than the stationary 
twenty-yards target, but one can keep it up only for a 
short time. Some of the other competitors, however, 
find it so difficult that they have had it altered to practi- 
cally a stationary target, as I have explained, not seeing 
that this is the groundwork of all practical shooting. One 
gradually gets into the swing of it, till one can "throw" 
each shot right into the bull's centre. This keeps up for a 
few entries; as one's arm tires, one begins to lose the 
absolute precision. It is then useless to continue shooting, 
and it is time to take a rest. 

The records for this competition are several "highest 
possibles" made by myself, both with military and target 



204 Art of Revolver Shooting 

revolvers, and I have made many in practice. The pos- 
sibles made for the last few years are not comparable 
to mine as the hand is not lowered between shots, so 
mine stand as world's records. 

You need a large front sight and open "U, " so as to 
get your aim quickly. My favourite revolver has very 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. 20-YARDS DISAPPEARING TARGET 

"Any" Revolver, Bisley, 1896; .45 Smith & Wesson Revolver 
U. M. C. Ammunition. (Full size.) 



coarse sights, — a front sight which, in aiming, seems large 
indeed. 

I like the sun as much behind me as possible for this 
and any other quick-firing or moving-object competition, 
as you can then at once see the hit on the target and can 
correct it, if necessary, at the next shot. At a stationary 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 20 5 

target this seeing the hit at once does not matter, as you 
have plenty of time to locate your shot. 

In any competition in which unlimited entries are 
allowed, it is best to give up shooting an entry at your 
first bad shot, and to start a fresh entry instead of shooting 
out the full six shots. Many men will say, "It is better 
to keep on, as it is practice." In my experience I find 
that everyone has strings of better shots than his average, 
and these may commence at any time. If you have a 
three, for instance, as your second shot of a score, you 
may have four sevens to finish up with; then your next 
score may begin with two sevens and then a two. There 
are thus two scores spoilt, whereas, if you had retired at 
the shot counting three in your first score, and started 
another score, you would have had a string of six sevens in 
your second score, making a highest possible score of 
forty-two. I have so often seen this sort of thing happen 
to others (although I have never allowed it to happen to 
myself), that I am sure it is false economy, except in the 
limited-entry series, not to stop and begin afresh the 
moment you get a shot out of the bull. 

As already stated, another thing men do is to keep 
shooting pool to "get practice," as they call it, till they 
shoot themselves out, and make bad scores in competition. 
The place to practice is at home; there is no economy 
in paying half-a-crown for every six shots at Bisley, 
when you can shoot as much as you like at home for 
nothing. 

The rapid-firing and fifty-yards competitions being 
more difficult, you may allow yourself one or two sixes 



206 Art of Revolver Shooting 

in a score before beginning again; but stop at the first 
shot scoring less than six points. 

If possible, choose a time when there is no one shooting 
at the target next you; as, even if you do not find yourself 
"letting loose " at the sound of his firing, — he, most likely, 
timing himself all wrong, — the smoke from his shots may 
drift across you and spoil your view of the target. 

Do not shoot whilst a man is "arranging his things," 
or "bringing up his target" next you; it will distract your 
attention. 

Shoot one entry in each series of competitions, — dis- 
appearing, rapid-firing, etc., — and then take the com- 
petition in which you have done worst (comparatively 
worst, should be said, as thirty-six in the rapid-firing is 
as difficult as forty-one at the stationary twenty-yards) 
and beat that score. The moment you have beaten 
that sufficiently for one of your scores in another series 
to be the worst, go at that one; and so keep pushing the 
worst along. This gives you a better aggregate than any 
other system, and prizes are given for aggregates. 

Be sure to look through your barrel after each entry, 
and wipe it out frequently, cleaning the cylinder, etc. 
Quick shooting with black powder, especially in hot, dry 
weather, cakes and leads the barrel and spoils accuracy. 
If the pistol sticks or grates, however slightly, it is apt to 
spoil one's "time"; and if a chamber, from dirt, etc., does 
not come quite round, it will entirely spoil that shot. At 
Bisley you must not "wipe out" during the shots of an 
entry. Where, however, there is no rule against it, 
"wipe out" after every shot at stationary targets, and use 



National Rifle Association at Bisley 207 

only one of the chambers. When you open the revolver 
after each entry look carefully to see if the caps were 
struck in the centre, especially if you have made a bad 
shot. Should they be hit on the side, clean the revolver, 
and oil the spindle; if this still continues, take another. 
It is useless to keep on while this is happening. 

Be very careful to see that you are using your own 
ammunition, the proper sort for each particular revolver, 
and not taking some other that happens to be lying about. 
Also be very particular to have your revolver "passed," 
the trigger-pull tested, and ammunition examined by 
the official appointed for the purpose by the National 
Rifle Association, before shooting. This should be done 
every day, morning and afternoon, — as the trigger-pull 
may have altered, — so that there shall be no chance of 
disqualification after a good score has been made. 

Although it is, as a rule, best to finish your shooting 
at one class of competition, either moving or stationary, 
the change from one to the other gives a rest if you find 
yourself getting tired or discouraged. Moreover, as 
above explained, you secure a better "aggregate" by 
shifting from one series to another, though such chang- 
ing would easily confuse a beginner. For the beginner, 
therefore, it may be as well to study one particular 
competition and only compete in it the first year. This 
will probably place him high in the prize-list, and en- 
courage further perseverance another year. 



CHAPTER XIX 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AT BISLEY 

{Continued) 



RAPID FIRING 



[Note: — Target appears for twelve seconds at twenty yards. 
All six shots must be fired during that time. Known 
as " The Rapid.'" This competition has also been dis- 
continued, as competitors consider it too difficult.] 



APID firing is, in my opinion, the 
/; most practical of all competitions, 
for, as previously mentioned, a 
revolver is not a weapon for 
deliberate shooting, but for light- 
i ning rapidity at short range. 
\ Some years ago, when several of 
\ us were drawing up schemes for 
revolver competitions at Bisley, I 
experimented with rapid firing, 
and found I could shoot, with accuracy enough for practi- 
cal purposes, the six shots of a single-action revolver in 
from seven to ten seconds, at twenty yards. This was be- 
fore the invention of automatic pistols and revolvers, with 

which weapons I can now do it in from five to seven 

208 




National Rifle Association at Bisley 20 9 

seconds. Thinking that this might be too difficult for the 
average competitor at Bisley, and that it might deter him 
from trying, I suggested twelve seconds as ample time to 
fire six shots with a fair amount of aim. This idea was 
adopted. As rapid firing is so important for practical 
shooting, I give below a few useful hints for learning it, 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. 6 SHOTS IN 12 SECONDS 

"Any " Revolver, Bisley, 1895; Rapid Firing; .44 Smith & Wesson 
Revolver, U. M. C. Gallery Ammunition. (Full size.) 

although unfortunately it is not now included in the 
Bisley competitions. 

The record is forty for the "any" and two scores of 

thirty-nine for the "military" revolver, both made by 

myself ; but I have made forty and forty-one respectively 

out of a possible forty-two in practice at this "rapid," 

14 



210 Art of Revolver Shooting 

with black powder. The smoke hung so when I made this 
forty-one that I did not see where my shots were hitting, 
or even the bull's-eye in the last two shots, which only 
shows how one can learn to shoot by "sense of direction." 
These scores were made cocking with the thumb after 
each shot. With a double-action or automatic revolver 
possibles should be made in twelve seconds. 

In a single-action revolver it is necessary to get one 
which works as loosely and as easily as possible. A half- 
worn-out revolver is best, as it works freer. Next, file 
the mainspring as weak as it is possible to have it without 
risk of too many misfires. If it has one misfire in every 
twenty or so shots, it does not matter, the great thing 
being to have it cock easily. If the mainspring is weak 
enough, and an extra long thumb-piece is made to the 
hammer, one can put it almost to the full-cock with an 
upward flick of the revolver. A very big front sight and 
a big " U " in the back one are advisable. 

Stand as for disappearing target. 

It is impossible — at least I find it so — to count the 
half -seconds up to twelve seconds. I count half -seconds 
in fours — "one, two, three, four" — for each shot; thus 
giving each of the six shots two seconds out of the twelve. 

As the target rises, "come up," as in the disappearing 
series, but more quickly, increasing the pressure on the 
trigger as you "come up," so that the revolver goes off 
the moment it is horizontal and the sights are about right. 
I say about, because there is not time to correct the aim. 

Your shot ought to go off before, or as soon as, you get 
to the word "two"; but be sure to squeeze back — not to 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 2I1 

jerk off. It is possible, with practice, to get this "snap 
shot " into the bull or touching it. As this first shot goes 
off, instantly flick the hammer up to full-cock, with your 
thumb — the recoil will help you in this. Be especially 
careful to taks all pressure off the trigger whilst doing so. 
Unless you are very careful you will keep a slight pressure 




RAPID FIRING. AUTHOR S BEST ON RECORD FOR MILITARY REVOLVER 

AND SIGHTS 

Black Powder. Six shots in 12 seconds at 20 yards; .45 Smith & 
Wesson Revolver, U. M. C. Ammunition. Bisley, 1895. (Full size.) 

on the trigger with your first finger, which not only will 
prevent the revolver from cocking properly, but may 
break off the sear-notch, or cause what you may think is a 
"jam " but what is really your own fault in fighting the 
trigger against the hammer. This applies also to double- 
action revolvers where you must be sure to release the 



212 Art of Revolver Shooting 

trigger before again applying the pressure for cocking 
and discharging it. 

You are very likely at first to have constant supposed 
"jams" of this sort, or until you learn never to draw up 
the hammer without your trigger-finger being clear of the 
trigger. (I have more than once repeated this warning, as 
it is important to impress it on your memory.) With a 
double-action revolver be sure not to pull to one side in 
cocking by the trigger, but pull straight back. 

Your right arm — in fact, your whole body — should 
during the last five shots be immovable. You merely 
use your right hand and wrist to do the cocking and 
trigger-squeezing. Your aim during the cocking ought 
not to be disturbed enough to be more than a few inches 
off the bull. It assists cocking with the single-action 
revolver to cant slightly to the right and back again as 
you cock it. 

After each shot — and the instant the revolver is 
cocked again — begin a steadily increasing pressure straight 
back, and without a jerk, trying at the same time to get 
your sights as near the bull as you can before the revolver 
goes off again. The instant a shot is "off," begin to count 
afresh — "One, two, three, four." 

You can fire as quickly as you can get your aim, 
without waiting to count to "four"; but do not wait, 
if possible, longer than "four," except if needful for 
your last shot. 

By the time you have got five shots off, there will be 
a vague sort of idea in your mind that each shot went off 
before the full two seconds were counted for it, which will 



National Rifle Association at Bislcy 2I 3 

very likely be the case. Therefore, take deliberate aim jar 
your last shot. 

From your previous practice at the disappearing 
target, you should have got used to the sort of tremor 
and grating sound which is apparent immediately before 




AUTHOR S BEST ON RECORD SCORE. 20 YARDS RAPID-FIRING TARGET 

Bisley, 1895; .45 Smith & Wesson Military Revolver, Winans' sights. 
U. M. C. Smokeless Ammunition. (Full size.) 

the target actually disappears. Do not count during this 
last shot, but make certain of a bull, even if you have to 
wait until the target is almost disappearing. 

If the target is actually disappearing before you fire, 
you may, by jerking down, "rip" a shot into the bull 
across the target, even if the latter has got down to an 



2I 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

angle of thirty degrees. In my record score I think I 
must have spent over three seconds for this last shot ; but 
it was worth it, as it turned out a central bull. 

I have seen innumerable instances in which a man 
thought he was "late," and therefore hurrried his last 
shot, making a miss; and then the target remained up for 
some time afterwards, showing that there had been no 
need for any hurry. 

The rules to observe are: Snap the first; be quick over 
the next four (in case you cannot get quite on to the bull 
in one of these, take a shade longer over it and save on the 
remaining) ; and be deliberate on the last shot. It is better 
to chance not getting off the last shot in time than to 
spoil a winning score by hurrying it. 

If using an automatic pistol or revolver, all this be- 
comes much easier, as no time is then wasted in cocking 
and re-aligning the sights. All that you have to do is to 
release the pressure on the trigger the moment each shot goes 
off, and instantly begin to squeeze again as you get your 
next aim. A good double-action revolver is also easier. 
Do not keep on too long in this competition : half a dozen 
entries or practice scores are ample at a time. One 
only gets erratic and wild if one continues too long, also 
the revolver gets hot. 

Any shot not outside the five-ring is a good one at 
this competition, except for the last shot, which should 
be a bull. 

The sighting may have to be different in this from that 
required for slower shooting. Some men shoot up in one 
corner when snap-shooting with the heavy Bisley trigger- 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 2I 5 

pull : but of course, for practical use, a revolver with such 
a trigger-pull should not be used, and it is preferable to 
have the sighting so that one can aim straight under the 
bull, instead of having to make allowance for the jerking 
off. The trigger-pull should be as light as is deemed 
compatible with safety. I fancy the Fosbery-Webley 
Automatic revolver will stand as light a pull as an 
ordinary revolver, but the automatic pistols as yet on 
the market have a very heavy trigger-pull. 

It is a good plan to have the name of the competition 



3= 




POLICE TARGET DOUBLE-ACTION COLT REVOLVER 

for which the revolver is sighted engraved on the stock, 
so as to prevent using the wrong revolver for it; also to 
have the revolvers for each series plated, as I have already 
suggested, a different colour, — silver, copper, gold, etc., — 
for the same reason. 

A good time to shoot is when the shadow of the parti- 
tion falls diagonally across the target, bisecting the bull; 
it gives one a line instantly to get an aim by, even if the 
bull is obscured by smoke. This of course does not apply 
to smokeless powders. 

It is useless to shoot except in a dead calm at most 



216 Art of Revolver Shooting 

of the moving and disappearing targets, as a wind blows 
the aim crooked; but at this competition, if you can get 
to leeward of the partition, so as to get shelter for your- 
self, a little wind to blow the smoke away, if you are using 
black powder, is rather an advantage. Wearing glasses 
to protect the eyes is very important at this game. 




CHAPTER XX 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AT BISLEY 

( Continued) 



THE TRAVERSING TARGET 



Known as " The Slider." Target moving across the line of 
fire at the rate of quick-march; range twenty yards. 

LTHOUGH this competition is not 
now shot at Bisley, I describe 
it as it is a practical shoot and 
it is a great pity it should have 
been abolished. Although harder 
than the disappearing series, this 
was not so difficult as the rapid- 
firing one; in fact, it counted 
as about the second most diffi- 
cult of the series of compe- 
titions at moving targets. The chief difficulty was 
that when your aim was right horizontally, you might 
be wrong vertically, and vice versa. 

There was no necessity in this series to count, as you 
could see when the target was about to disappear. 

Every range officer had his own idea of what speed 

constituted "at the rate of quick-march," so there was 

217 




218 Art of Revolver Shooting 

nothing to be gained by timing the "run" and setting the 
metronome bell to indicate that time for your man who 
ran your private target. 

It used to be especially important not to shoot in this 
series until the Bisley meeting was several days old. 
For the first day or two the men who took it in turns to 
"run" the target (which is done by turning the handle of 
a big wheel, over which runs a wire rope) were new to 
the job, and ran it irregularly, jerkily, and with unequal 
speeds. Under such conditions, it was impossible to 
judge allowance of aim in front of the bull's-eye. 

The "holding," or "allowance," in front, which made 
your last shot a bull, might at your next either land you 
behind the bull, or the man might slacken speed just as 
you squeezed off, and so put you in front. I used to watch 
these men carefully, and decide who ran the target best. 
Then I chose my opportunity in a dead calm, and when 
he ran the target well and evenly (the speed did not 
much matter, and personally I can shoot better when the 
target is going moderately fast) I used to make my entry. 
I did not shoot if the man was running the target badly, 
either through his own fault or owing to the cord or wire 
being, from rain or other causes, too slack or too tight. 

When first practising for this competition, have a 
target made with a black band two inches wide running 
down the middle of the target, instead of the usual 
bull's-eye. Begin your practice at this, having it put 
up first with the black band vertical, and then with it 
horizontal. Shooting at it vertical will show you if you 
are getting the right allowance in front in your aim. 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 2I 9 

When it is horizontal, it will show you if your elevation is 
correct. This can be elaborated by having black bands 
painted or pasted on the back of an ordinary target and, 
with its back towards you, shooting at them. Then, by 
turning it over after the six shots have been fired, you will 
see what score you would have made on a regulation 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. FOR 3-INCH BULL'S-EYE 
TRAVERSING TARGET, 20 YARDS 

Wimbledon, 1888; .45 Smith & Wesson Revolver, Eley's 
Ammunition. (Full size.) 

target. The reason for this practice is that there are two 
things to attend to. One is the "allowance" in front, the 
other is the "elevation' '; if a beginner tries to think of 
both at once he will get confused. 

If, after you have got pretty certain of your "allow- 
ance," you go to "elevation," you will most likely lose 



220 Art of Revolver Shooting 

your "allowance," and have to go back to the vertical 
band; and so on, alternately, until you can trust yourself 
at the regulation bull. 

Most people, unless they use alternate hands, find the 
"run" one way easier than the other. If you have any 
preference, begin your competition with the run from the 
more difficult side, which will ensure your having an easy 
run for the last shot ; whether your score wins or not often 
depends upon your last shot, and it is best to make that 
as easy as possible. 

I prefer higher elevation in sights for this competition. 
Instead of aiming to touch the bull at "VI o'clock" to get 
a central bull, the aim should be at the actual elevation 
you want the bullet to go, so as to enable you to aim off 
at "III o'clock" and at "IX o'clock" for right and left 
runs respectively. 

Some people who are slower on the trigger — that is, 
who take longer to give the order to the trigger-finger 
when their eye says the aim is right — may need more 
allowance. 

There is in astronomical work a technical term, ' ' re- 
action time," for the process of timing first contact in 
eclipses, and each observer deducts his own "personal 
error," which seems constant to him when in normal 
health. This allowance varies in revolver shooting with 
different men. I personally need very little allowance 
when the target is running to the left — half an inch out 
at " IX o'clock" ; and even less (about a quarter of an inch 
out) at "III o'clock," when running to the right. Taking 
stimulants makes this slower, but as I never smoke or take 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 221 

stimulants I cannot speak from personal experience. Mr. 
Victor Horsley, however, in a lecture delivered on April 
27, 1900, at St. James's Hall, on "The Effects of Alcohol 
on the Brain," spoke to the following effect: 

Increased "Reaction Times" 

The time occupied by the nervous system in observing 
and recording the simplest thing was, he said, called "the 
reaction time," and was so appreciable that in all minute 
and accurate records astronomers had to measure their 
reaction period, and to account for it. The lecturer then 
demonstrated by an experiment the method of measuring 
the reaction time. This plan in all forms and varieties 
had been very largely employed by Professor Kraepelin, 
whose investigations had been so thorough and complete 
that they explained the somewhat contradictory results 
obtained by Warren and other observers, and had es- 
tablished on a thoroughly scientific basis the direct in- 
fluence of alcohol on the higher centres of the brain. 
The effect was that very speedily after taking the dose of 
alcohol the reaction time was shortened, but this shorten- 
ing, that is to say, this apparent quickening of the cerebral 
act, lasted only a few minutes, and then marked slowing 
set in, and for the rest of the time during which the 
alcohol acted, varying from two to four hours according 
to the individual, the cerebral activity was diminished. 
The diminution was shown by a noteworthy lengthening 
of the reaction period — in other words, it took longer for a 
person who had had a small quantity of alcohol to think. 



222 x 4. r t qf Revolver Shooting 

The evidence, therefore, was overwhelming that alcohol in 
small amounts had a most deleterious effect on voluntary- 
muscular work. 

Some men aim at a spot, and wait for the target to 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. FOR TWO-INCH BULl/S- 
EYE TRAVERSING TARGET, 20 YARDS 

Bisley, 1896; .45 Smith & Wesson Revolver, U. M. C. 
Ammunition. (Full size.) 



come up to it; but this is useless, as anyone knows who 
has shot moving game with a gun. 

Stand absolutely square to the front, or perhaps a 
little more towards the side on which you find it most 
difficult to follow the target. Plant the feet slightly 
farther apart than for the other competitions, and swing 
the whole of the upper part of the body from the hips. Do 



National Rifle Association at Bislcy 22 3 

not swing your right arm, keeping the rest of the body- 
still. The shoulder-joint does not give so smooth a 
horizontal swing as swinging from the hips. Moreover, 
if you swing the arm, you have to turn the head, or else 
have to look out of the corners of your eyes, instead of 
straight before you. 

Let the whole of the upper part of your body be held 
rigid, and swing only on the hips. Lift your revolver 
from the table as the target appears, and swing with the 
target, bringing up the revolver on a diagonal line (this 
is the resultant of the vertical rise from the shoulder and 
the horizontal swing of the hips). Let the sights come 
horizontal to the eyes a little in front of the proposed 
allowance; and, as you keep your arm moving in front 
of the bull, gradually let the bull overtake you, till it is the 
right allowance behind your sight ; and still keep on swing- 
ing. All this time be gradually squeezing the trigger, so 
that it squeezes off just when the aim is right. Be sure 
not to stop swinging before the revolver goes off. 

Some range officers made you "lower" after each shot; 
others let you keep "at the present" between the shots. 
I do not think the latter is of any advantage ; it tires the 
arm, and you cannot make the diagonal swing up to your 
spot in front of the bull. 

At the firing-point of this range you cannot get shelter 
from the wind, so choose if possible an absolutely calm 
time for shooting. 

My world's record score of a highest possible was made 
at this target "coming up" each time from the table, 
and was shot in a strong wind at 10 a.m. 



22 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

I do not think it is of any use deciding to fire upon a 
certain part of the "run" ; it is best to fire when you feel 
you are aiming right, and you may get this feeling sooner 
in the "run " on some days than on others. 

There is a tendency to "follow" too long, and then, 
owing to lack of time, to jerk off just as the target dis- 
appears. I have made bulls when the target was almost 
out of sight, in fact, I did so in my record shoot ; but this 
is a bad habit to contract, and a risky sort of shot, as it is 
almost sure to be too far behind, or even to be fired into 
the shield in front of the target; though, of course, if 
you have not a good aim, it is better to delay as long as 
possible, rather than to shoot earlier with a bad aim. 

Be sure in your private range that your shield is 
bullet proof, or you may get into the habit of making 
"bulls" when the target is "sitting" behind the shield, 
by shooting through it. To economise space, you can 
have this target run in front of your disappearing-target 
apparatus, putting the latter out of the way when not 
needed; this latter will also serve for stationary-target 
purposes, and to hold the fifty-yards target. Do not have 
a target which runs by gravitation, as shooting at a target 
which is running downhill requires quite different sighting 
from that needed with one running horizontally. 




BISLEY CAMP BY NIGHT 



CHAPTER XXI 



NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AT BISLEY 

{Continued) 

the advancing target (popularly known as 
"burglar') 

^URGLAR is the nickname by which 
this competition was known, 
though "The Attack" would be 
more appropriate. 

This competition is my own 
invention. It was shot at a 
fifty-yards target (four-inch 
bull's-eye), which advances from 
fifty up to fifteen yards — all six 
shots to be fired during that 
time, the revolver not to be raised from the ledge before 
the target starts moving; but it is not now in the Bisley 
programme. 

This was one of the easiest series, though some men 
seemed to get very flurried when the target got close to 
them, and I have actually seen the whole target missed 
when it was at fifteen yards, the target being some three 
feet square! You must shoot as if it were a stationary 
target, which it practically is. As it approaches, you 




IS 



225 



226 Art of Revolver Shooting 

have constantly to change the focus of your eyes; this 
is the only thing which hampers you. You do not count 
in this, as you are able to judge by sight how much time 
you have for shooting. 

Raise your arm very deliberately, and take a very 
steady, slow aim; be sure to put the first shot high enough, 
especially if using gallery ammunition. The revolver 
to use is the twenty-yards disappearing-target one; so 
this shot must be aimed high, the sighting being for 
twenty yards in your revolver, and varying according to 
how heavy a charge you are using. If you find that 
altering the elevation confuses you, this may be con- 
trived artificially by having your cartridges loaded with 
diminishing charges of powder. 

The target is supposed to be going at "quick-march 
time"; being rather heavy, it is most likely travelling a 
little slower. At any rate, there is no need to hurry; by 
the time the first shot goes off the target will be about 
forty yards distant. 

If you are a quick shot, and can get off your remaining 
shots fast, let it come nearer before you fire this first shot: 
the closer it is, the more certain you are to make a bull. 
For the remaining five shots, as the bull is four inches in 
diameter, and the distance decreases from about thirty- 
nine to fifteen yards (averaging twenty-five yards at a four- 
inch bull) , you ought to have no difficulty in getting all bulls. 
The only thing is to be careful to take a slightly lower aim 
each shot, to allow for the gradually shortening range, the 
last two or three being aimed "well in" at "VI o'clock." 
The last two shots are so ridiculously easy that one is apt 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 22 7 

to become careless and to think that any aim will do ; with 
the result that perhaps the last shot is jerked off the bull. 
Treat the bull for these last shots as an old deer-stalker 
taught me to do when stalking: "Don't aim at the deer as 




AUTHOR'S " BEST ON RECORD " SCORE. ADVANCING TARGET 

"Any" Revolver, Bisley, 1896; .44 Smith & Wesson Revolver, U. M. C. 
Gallery Ammunition. (Full size.) 

a whole, but pick out an imaginary spot on him and aim at 
that." In the present case, if there is a bullet-hole "well 
in" about "VI o'clock," use that to aim at; and even if 
you "jerk off" that you cannot well miss the whole bull. 



228 A r t f Revolve?' Shooting 

Best on record: A highest possible of forty-two, made 
by myself; all the shots close in the centre of the bull. 

With an automatic revolver or pistol this competition 
is ridiculously easy, as you can wait until the target 
approaches within twenty-five yards before firing your 
first shot. 

There is not yet a "retiring " target, although I sug- 
gested one; but in such a case the procedure should be 
reversed: get off the shots as quickly as possible, as each 
moment makes the shooting more difficult; and aim 
gradually higher with each shot. 

To shoot at a target first advancing and then retiring, 
three shots each way, let all your shots be fired whilst the 
target is near, and utilise the first part of the "advance" 
for aiming your first shot. 




CHAPTER XXII 

NATIONAL RIFLE ASSOCIATION AT BISLEY 

( Concluded ) 




THE STATIONARY FIFTY- YARDS TARGET 

O W we come to the fifty-yards 

target. 

To shoot in this series 

(known as "The Long 

Range"), you require the 

smallest and finest sights 

which you can see clearly 

without trying your eyes. 

There is no advantage in 

having them smaller than you can see properly. 

Also, it is well to have several revolvers with sights 

of different sizes, and differently sighted: some high, some 

low, some to the right, and some to the left, so as to suit 

varying light. 

By the Bisley rules, you are not allowed to adjust 

your sights. 

I have experimented with peep-sights. One cannot, 

however, hold a revolver steadily enough to get the full 

advantage of a peep-sight. 

Have a Zeise glass and locate each shot, correcting the 

229 



2 3° Art of Revolver Shooting 



next, if necessary, by altering your aim— as the rules will not 
permit you to alter the sights. Shoot very deliberately ; rest 
your eyes frequently ; stop at every breath of air, and only 
fire when you are "dead sure." Clean after each entry. 

Do not keep on too long at this range. A few entries 
now and again are best, as it is very straining to the eyes 
and trying to the muscles. 




BEST ON RECORD MADE BY AUTHOR. 5O-YARDS TARGET 

Bislcy, 1894. Twelve consecutive shots: Six with .44 
Smith & Wesson Revolver, six with .38 Smith & 
Wesson Revolver. Smith & Wesson self- 
lubricating bullet. (Half size.) 

Personally I prefer a heavy charge, as it gives greater 
accuracy at fifty yards ; but one cannot stand many shots 
with a heavy charge without feeling the consequences. I 
do not like the flat-topped bullets at this range, as I have 
found that they keyhole. 



National Rifle Association at Bis ley 2 $ l 

The best on record is eighty-two, out of a possible 
eighty-four, made by the writer in twelve shots; the first 
six shots (score forty-one) winning the military (with .44 
Russian Model Smith & Wesson, full charge of twenty- 
three grains of black powder, self-lubricating Smith & 
Wesson bullets), the last six winning the "any" revolver 
series (with a similar revolver bored to take a .32 calibre 
long cartridge and similar ammunition) . The twelve shots 
were fired consecutively, without any sighting shots be- 
tween. In both these scores, the shot out of the bull was a 
"nicker," almost touching the bull. I used the Smith & 
Wesson self -lubricating bullet, which I describe elsewhere, 
and which I think was responsible for the result, as it keeps 
the revolver from fouling, which it would otherwise do 
with so heavy a charge. I have fired one hundred shots 
with this bullet in very rapid succession, without cleaning, 
on a hot, dry day, without the revolver fouling to any ap- 
preciable extent, or losing its accuracy. As no other twelve- 
shot score at this range has ever come anywhere near this, 
I think I am right in considering the bullet a good one. 




CHAPTER XXIII 




:eam shooting and coaching 

HEN you are a member of a 
team, do exactly what the 
captain of the team directs 
you to do. Never mind if 
you think that he is wrong, 
and that you could do better 
work in your own way. It 
is "his show," and he alone is responsi- 
ble; merely shoot as well as you can in 
his way. Of course, if he should ask your 
advice, that is a different thing. Should another mem- 
ber of your team ask advice, refer him to the captain. 

If you are captain of a team, and have the choice of 
men, select, preferably, men whose nerve can be relied 
upon; a veteran who does not get "rattled," even if only 
a moderate shot, is preferable to a brilliant beginner who 
may go all to pieces at a critical moment. 

The man I prefer in a team is one who always shoots 
a good consistent score, — never brilliantly, yet never 
badly; you can always rely upon him to shoot up to his 
form. If you have two such men, let one of them shoot 

the first score, — if possible, against your adversaries' best 

232 



2 34 Art of Revolver Shooting 

man, — so as to give your team confidence that they are 
likely to hold their own. 

Reserve yourself — or your most reliable shot, who can 
be trusted not to lose his head — for emergencies, such as 
these: To shoot last, when everything depends upon 
making a good score; when the light is bad and likely to 
improve later ; if there is a wind that may drop later ; for 
pulling up a score when the other team is leading; for 
getting the sighting when you retire to the fifty-yards 
range; to shoot "turn and turn about," against the most 
nervous or dangerous man of the other team, and so on. 

You should specially notice if any of your team are 
getting nervous ; prevent their watching good shooting by 
their adversaries, or looking at and comparing scores. 
Encourage them to think that their own team is so strong 
that their own individual shortcomings do not matter. 
You can, in this way, "nurse" a man along who is on the 
verge of ' ' going to pieces. ' ' 

If possible, do not let your men know how the scores 
stand. If there is a wind, or rain or bad light, consult 
your most "weather-wise" man, and decide how to 
"place" your bad shots so as to give them the easi- 
est "shoot." That is to say, if the wind is likely to 
drop later, shoot your strong shots when the weather 
is unfavourable. 

It is also a good thing to have a reliable member of the 
team stand behind each one who is shooting, to "spot" 
for him, and keep time for him. 

If there be a time limit, have a very good man, if 
possible, at the left elbow of each shooter, with a stop 



Full Sized Diagrams ofTwelve highest possible Scores made by WALTER WlNANSm Revolver Competitions 

.if 20 Yards in 1895. These arc thc-Twelve best Scores of those he won the following Competitions willi 

\ i) Revolver aggregate Bislcy Military Revolver aggregate i Bisley Revolver Grand aggregate 

North London Rifle Clubs Revolver Championship -i South London Rifle Clubs Revolver Cliani|iionsbi(i 

Swallow Street Revolver Gallery ChallengeCup + Also many Firsl FVizesin Individual Competitions 



OJuneI5tt<\'ortK'UndonRifleClub ,^^^^k 

first Prize- A First SrsSllolsof fl ^^B 

Hie brat on Record 12 Sbot Score f -fl 

countinc, 8.1 nut ot .. ^B 
,Vkiu-i [?' September.?!* ^^^^ 

.-, \_ondon Rjfl »•. \_ondon Rifle 

^^^7 v \,„,i<loi, R,// .. v U>n.lnn K'i/7,. , ^^V^ 

' - - <s\0< W ^^^^ C/ '^ Q(j» W ^^^^ %/, 

@ o 

First Prize Fil-st Prize 

I LI W^L^ 

first Prize • ,^^^H^ First Prize- 

Winning Cliallenc,e Cup, 

TV Norili London Stores are pari of tlic segregate of 411 points out ofa possible 420. which is the best on Record 
mill lir won the Revolver Championship of Hie Club nil threeVears v The South London Rinc Club Score istllcbostp.il 

..1 Hie ......rroali- ot '524-out of n possibtc336.two | its better lb.,.. Ins previous best on reiurd.and won Hl.c Championship 

ol tin I Inl. for llie S'l! time lie also made top Score in the Team Shoot of the North Loudon Ride Clubs Revolver Match. 
and ->on llie Smokeless IWdcr Revolver Competition, and numerous' Spoon" Competitions during the Year 



DIAGRAMS OF TWELVE HIGHEST POSSIBLE SCORES MADE BY AUTHOR IN REVOLVER 
COMPETITIONS AT 20 YARDS IN 1 895 

The diameter of the original bull's-eyes is 2 inches 



July 18ft 

. V.cimlon Hit/ ^fc. ^W Nc v Rcvo/v Cr n 



iVuios! \si September*?!* 

First Prize .VjUindon Riflfe- . v \.oi«lon ft/J,, , TheTopSconc 






Best on Record Score 



5erilcmbor«J ^^^ ^™ ' October 230 

vVvV-ondou fty; lust Prize Rl-st Prize ,i,\jon<lou /,',,; 

s\c>. ^ '-',,/, ^" ^^^ 'hi/, 



235 



2 3 6 Art of Revolver Shooting 

watch. His business, if the time limit is, let us say, three 
minutes for the six shots, to start his watch when the 
signal to begin firing is given; to say "one minute" at the 
end of the first minute; "two minutes" at the end of 
the second minute; and then, "fifteen," "thirty," and 
"forty-five," at the ends of the first three quarters 
respectively of the last minute, and finally to count 
"one," "two," "three," etc., for the last fifteen seconds. 

This lets the shooter know exactly how much time he 
has, and enables him to make the utmost use of lulls of 
wind. 

Also at each shot he must say, "bull," if the shot is 
well in the bull, or "inch out seven" if under the bull to 
the left, etc., thus enabling the shooter to correct his aim 
for the next shot. 

It is quite wrong to say the value of the shot. What 
the shooter wants to know is how to correct his next shot, 
if the previous one was wrong; the value of a shot does 
not help him to know where he ought to aim. 

For this reason a ' ' coach ' ' who is not properly drilled 
is much worse than useless. He is a hindrance and 
confuses the shooter. For instance, if he says, "Oh, only 
a five," that conveys no meaning to the shooter as to 
where his shot has gone, and he has to ask, "Is it high or 
low ? " The coach answers, " It 's a long way off the bull ; 
how did you come to make such a bad shot? It is to the 
right." Probably the shooter then asks, "Is it low?" 
and the "coach " answers, "Yes — no — it is n't. It 's right 
on top," and so on, to the exasperation of the shooter and 
the spoiling of the score. Shooter and coach should 



Team Shooting and Coaching 2 S7 

practise together, so that their minds work together, and 
instantaneously. Only the actual spot struck should be 
told, and that instantly, and in the fewest possible words. 

"Oh's," and all such exclamations, ought to be 
rigorously avoided. 

Coaching is allowed in team shooting, but not in 
ordinary individual competitions. 

Do not let any member of your team leave the range 
on any account until the competition is over. 

Have a man or two extra, in case of anything disabling 
or preventing one of your team from shooting. 

Do not let two men shoot with the same revolver, as 
both men may be wanted to shoot at the same time. 

Do not scold a man, however badly he may be doing; 
you only flurry him, and it does no good. 

Do not have any refreshments for your team until the 
competition is over. 




CHAPTER XXIV 




GENERAL REMARKS ON SHOOTING IN 
COMPETITIONS 

'HEN shooting in competition, be 
careful not to spoil your oppo- 
nent's scores. Never approach 
or leave the firing-point while 
he is aiming or about to shoot. 
If he is about to shoot, and there 
be time, reserve your shot till 
he has fired; and do not fidget 
with your revolver or cartridges 
or get your target drawn up 
whilst he is aiming. Keep per- 
fectly still and silent till his shot has gone off. Do not 
speak to him at any time, except to answer some question 
of his. If he is at all nervous, you might by a slight 
movement or word ruin his score. 

Read carefully, before shooting, the rules of the com- 
petition in which you are about to engage, and be sure you 
comply with every detail of them. If you find you have, 
inadvertently, transgressed a rule, report to the range 
officer at once, and get your score cancelled. 

Write your name very distinctly on your score-card; 
I have known a man to lose a prize owing to his name 

238 



Shooting in Competitions 2 39 

being illegible on the score-card. See that your shots 
have been entered properly and rightly added up and 
the corrections initialled. 

Have your target dated and signed by the range 
officer, with the name of the competition also inscribed, 
and keep it as evidence in case your card should get lost. 
Be sure you do not by mistake have a score entered on a 
ticket belonging to another series. 

Before shooting at Bisley, I put a weight in a chemist's 
scale equal to the average weight of one of my loaded 
cartridges. I weigh each cartridge against it, put all of 
the correct weight aside for Bisley, and keep the others 
for practice. By this means I minimise the chance of a 
weak or of too strong a shot. 

When you are at the firing-point, pay no attention to 
what anyone else is doing, or to what scores have been, 
or are being, made, or to any of your scores being beaten ; 
the great thing is to have the average all round high for 
the aggregate prizes. If you are constantly watching the 
scores of others, rushing from range to range as your 
various scores are passed, you will have much less chance 
of making good scores than if you keep plodding on, 
constantly adding a point or two to your aggregate. 
You can afterwards try to beat individual scores, if 
necessary. Of course, if you at any time, in any one 
series, get a score which you think is up to the limit of 
your skill, you may let that series alone till you have 
reached your limit in all other series. Never watch a good 
man shooting ; it will only make you doubt if you can beat 
him. It is also tiring your eyes uselessly. 



240 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Do not read or use your eyes any more than is ab- 
solutely necessary. When resting, dark glasses will be 
found to relieve the eyes. I find that if I am getting tired 
of shooting, a half-hour's gallop on a horse that does not 
pull freshens me up, and helps to divert my thoughts; 
others may prefer lying quietly down and shutting the 
eyes. 

If you find yourself getting stale, drop the whole thing, 
even for several days. It will not be time wasted, as you 
will shoot better afterwards; and you will certainly get 
worse if you keep on without rest. 

Never protest or dispute a score or a decision. The 
range officers are doing their best under very trying 
circumstances. If you think any decision wrong, say 
nothing about it and forget it; you will only spoil your 
shooting if you worry about it. Just set your teeth and 
make a score a point better than the disputed one ought, in 
your opinion, to have been. The protesting man is a 
nuisance to himself and to everyone else. 

Should you see a man infringing the rules, leave it to 
others to protest. 




CHAPTER XXV 



AUTOMATIC PISTOLS 




"~ 



[HERE have been various auto- 
matic pistols made which load 
and cock by the force of the 
discharge of the previous shot. 
The one with which I can 
shoot best is the Webley-Fos- 
bery Automatic Revolver here 
illustrated. 

The recoil causes the upper 
part of the revolver to fly back, 
a stud acting in a zigzag 
groove in the chamber half turning the chamber as it 
flies back, and completing the revolution as it returns to 
its normal position by the force of a spring which has 
been compressed by the discharge. 

I can shoot very well with this, but I cannot try it 
against the double-action .38 Smith & Wesson — with 
which I made the record score of six shots in a two-inch 
circle at twenty-five metres in seventeen seconds — as it 
will not shoot gallery ammunition, there not being recoil 
enough in that to operate the mechanism. 

One made specially with a weaker spring for gallery 



16 



241 



2 4 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 




WEBLEY-FOSBERY AUTOMATIC 
REVOLVER 



ammunition would be an ideal weapon for rapid firing 
at Gastinne-Renette's. 

Another form of automatic is the Browning, but 
this is not a target 
pistol and I cannot C 
make good shoot- 
ing with it. In my 
opinion having to use 
both hands to cock it 
for the first shot con- 
stitutes a defect. One 
ought to be able to 

draw, cock, and fire with one hand any pistol intended 
for self-defence. 

Most nations have an automatic pistol of one make or 
another as their regulation army weapon, but France and 

the United States 
keep to the double- 
action revolver, and 
they are not the 
worst pistol shots 
and they know what 
a good pistol ought 
to be. 
Personally I should 
never carry an automatic pistol for self-defence, for use 
on dangerous game, or for target shooting, as the revolver 
is so much more handy, shoots better, and it is safer after 
one shot has been fired. 

I have never seen any score made by any automatic 




COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, 
POCKET MODEL, CALIBRE .32 



Automatic Pistols 



243 



pistol (except the Fosbery, which is really an improved 
revolver rather than a typical automatic pistol) which 
was any good. 

One ought to be able to take a pistol out of its holster 




COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, CALIBRE .32 

Sectional view showing the automatic action 

or the pocket, aim, then change one's mind and return 
it to the pocket, all with one hand. 

A double-action revolver you take out, half raise the 
hammer with the trigger-pull as you level it, decide not 
to shoot, release the pull, and drop the pistol in your 
pocket, and it is safe. 

With an automatic pistol you draw it, and have to 



2 44 Art of Revolver Shooting 

take hold of it with both hands so as to draw the bolt to 
cock it ; when you aim and decide not to shoot you have 
again to manipulate it with both hands, and in some in- 




COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, MILITARY 
MODEL, CALIBRE .45 



stances to extract all the cartridges and put them again 
in the magazine before it is safe to put in the pocket. 
If you want to return it safely to your pocket after you 




COLT AUTOMATIC PISTOL, MILITARY 
MODEL, CALIBRE .38 



have fired a shot, the process to be gone through is yet 
more complicated. 

Of course if you blaze away all your cartridges it is 
quicker than any revolver, but I am talking of the much 



Automatic Pistols 2 45 

more frequent occurrence of firing only one or two shots, 
or of not shooting at all after having drawn the weapon 
on the chance of needing it, then finding there was no 
necessity to shoot. 

For a lady's use as a weapon of defence I should not 
for a moment advise an automatic pistol. 

In selecting an automatic pistol, as distinct from an 
automatic revolver, care must be taken that it has an 
efficient safety bolt. 




LUGAR AUTOMATIC PISTOL 



As the action for cocking the automatic pistol consists 
in drawing back the barrel, if the pistol is dropped so that 
the barrel strikes the ground with its muzzle the pistol is 
very apt to be discharged. 

I have heard of such a case which led to fatal results. 
This seems to me one of the weak points of such pistols, as, 
even if the pistol has an efficient safety bolt, such a bolt 



246 Art of Revolver Shooting 

is almost sure to have been moved when the pistol 
is held in the hand ready to fire, and in such a case, if the 
pistol is dropped, it will most likely explode. This fact 
must be borne in mind when choosing between a revolver 
and an automatic pistol intended for self-defence. 




CHAPTER XXVI 



THE REVOLVER IN WAR 




NFORTUNATELY war, and not 
target shooting, is the chief use 
for revolvers up to the present 
time. 

As I am not a military man 
I cannot go as fully into details 
as I have done with regard to 
some of the other uses of the 
revolver; but I should say, 
speaking as a civilian, that the 
nearer the revolver approaches to that recommended for 
big-game shooting (whilst fulfilling the necessary military 
requirements and regulations), the more useful and re- 
liable will it be found. 

My hints as to shooting deer, or at targets, from horse- 
back, would apply to chasing drivers of retreating guns, 
or infantry; and my various suggestions for practising 
rapid firing at moving objects would also apply. The 
episode of the officers in the Boer War repeatedly missing 
store bullocks with their revolvers illustrates the need 

of practice with this arm, which not even an acquaintance 

247 



248 Art of Revolver Shooting 

with the rifle (supposing the officers to have such) enables 
one to dispense with. 

It is useless to describe in detail the various patterns 
of automatic pistols and revolvers used by the different 
nations, as these not only constantly change, so that any 
I now write about may be obsolete by the time this book 
is published, but each nation has also its special needs, so 
that the pistol suitable for one country might not be the 
best for another. 

For instance, in England there seems to be a greater 



NEW ARMY COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER 

Adopted by Ordnance Department U. S. Army- 
demand than in any other country for a pistol with "stop- 
ping power. " In consequence, various more or less blunt- 
nosed bullets have been invented, some of them almost 
cylinders with cupped tops. Very good shooting is said to 
have been made with some of these shapes of bullets: 
personally, though it may be only fancy, I do not think 
bullets of such shape can fly quite as accurately as those 
which are pointed, although I have done good shooting 
at deer with them at very short range. I myself have 
never been able, in experimenting, to improve on the 




OS 



2 5° Art of Revolver Shooting 

conical shape for extreme accuracy, the spitzen form of 
bullet being more suitable for arms of higher velocity 
than for pistols. 

The consensus of opinion, however, in all other armies 
seems now to be in favour of very small calibres, as the 
advantages of a small calibre over a large one in port- 
ability, lightness, and amount of ammunition that can be 
carried, are so great that they are considered to outweigh 
the want of stopping power. A man who cannot hit 
another in a vital spot at the short range at which a 




NEW NAVY COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER 

Adopted by Bureau of Ordnance, U. S. Navy 

revolver is used in war would not do any better with the 
larger calibre. 

I do not think that the advantages of a pistol over 
a sword, or even a lance, for cavalry are sufficiently 
appreciated. Going on the standard of the "Can't- 
hit-a-haystack " shooting of the ordinary trooper with 
a revolver, it is not realised what a squadron of cavalry, 
which could "shoot," might be able to accomplish with 
this weapon. In charging, which I suppose would very 



2 52 Art of Revolver Shooting 

seldom occur in modern warfare, each man could fire 
several shots at opposing cavalry; whilst their adversa- 
ries, if cavalry, with only lance and sword, could not have 
a "go" at them until they got within a yard or two. A 
lancer, and, in a lesser degree, a trooper, armed with a 
sword, needs elbow room to wield his weapon; when 
hemmed in by companions pressing close in on him he 
cannot use it. An adversary can, moreover, parry, or 
even clutch, the lance, and then he is quite helpless. 



NEW SERVICE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER 

Jointless solid frame, simultaneous ejection 

A trooper who was through the Zulu campaign told 
me that many of the men in his troop threw away their 
lances and depended on their revolvers in a charge, as 
Zulus dodged their lances and seized their horses, whereas 
a revolver cleared the way in charging. 

In hand-to-hand cavalry fighting the man with the 
revolver would have the lancer or swordsman absolutely 
at his mercy; while as for pursuing, the little bugler-boy 



The Revolver in War 



?53 



in South Africa showed what can be done with a revolver. 
From the standpoint of the pursued, a man with a lance 
is helpless, and a swordsman is almost as helpless; but a 
man with a pistol can keep loading and shooting back 
at his pursuers all the time he is galloping away at top 
speed. 

An infantry soldier, if active, cool, and a good hand 
with the bayonet, especially if he also understands the 




RUSSIAN MODEL ARMY REVOLVER 

(Smith & Wesson) 



dislikes and fears of horses, can defend himself 
against a mounted swordsman or lancer; by prick- 
ing the horse on the nose, for instance, he can prevent the 
rider being able to get his horse up close to him ; he also 
can parry a swordcut or lance-thrust, or dodge the blow. 
But a mounted man with a pistol could shoot at him as 
he gallops past out of range of his bayonet-lunge, or 
even stand still on his horse at thirty or forty yards off 
and shoot him. 

I believe that the cavalry on both sides in the 
United States Civil War made more use of their re- 



2 54 Art of Revolver Shooting 

volvers than of sword or lance, and the revolvers routed 
the lances. 

A pistol needs much less physical strength to use than 
either sword or lance, and is no more difficult to learn to 
handle. Lances, besides, are conspicuous when cavalry- 
are trying to conceal themselves, and are useless among 
trees. 

Artillery drivers are especially helpless when pursued, 
yet if properly taught they could use a pistol whilst driving 
their horses, and prevent the incident I have depicted 
below, which is founded on fact, though I have, for 
reasons that are obvious, used fancy uniforms. 

Cavalry could be trained with the Devilliers bullet. 




CHAPTER XXVII 



STAGE SHOOTING 




HIS subject can be subdivided into 
two parts: real, expert, very ac- 
curate work, requiring great skill and 
nerve; and conjuring tricks, that is to 
say, shooting assisted by apparatus and 
the arts of the conjuror. The greatest 
insult that can be offered to a professional 
shot is to call him a conjuror. 

To begin with the unaided shooting. 
You must have a safe background to 
shoot against. The best, in my opinion, is a steel 
plate, leaning towards you at an angle of forty-five 
degrees, and below it a shallow tray, filled with sand, 
to catch the bullets, which flatten on the steel and 
then drop into the tray. As only very light powder- 
charges are used, and as the revolver bullets for this 
purpose are round, or semi-round, this is sufficient. 

It is usual to have something for the bullets to go 
through before striking the steel plate. Green baize is 
good for the eyes as a background; but it is dangerous, 
being very inflammable; it gives off fluff, some of which 
stands out from the baize, and the rest falls to the ground. 

255 



2 56 Art of Revolver Shooting 

This is like tinder and liable to catch fire from burning 
particles of powder. Some fabric dipped in a non-in- 
flammable mixture should be used; either green, white, 
or black, whichever you find suits your eyesight best. 
The butt is either put "prompt" side of the stage (so 
that the shooter's right arm is nearest the audience) , and 
at a slight angle, in order that people may see the target ; 
or it is placed at the back of the stage, the shooter standing 
with his back to the audience. In either case, the shooter 
keeps his "tools" on a side-table, and when he shoots he 
stands quite clear of any table, so as to afford an unin- 
terrupted view of all his proceedings. 

The range is about fifteen feet. This may seem very 
short, but it looks a long shot on a stage; and it must be 
remembered that the shooting is at very small objects, 
and no misses are allowable. The golden rule to be borne 
in mind in stage shooting is, Never hazard a shot that is 
not very easy to you, and which you cannot be practically 
sure of successfully accomplishing. If you try a very 
difficult shot and succeed once in three times — such as 
hitting a very small object thrown into the air — hardly 
any of the audience will think of you as aught but a bad 
shot; whereas, if you hit six stationary glass balls — each 
as big as an orange — they will think you wonderful ! 

WEAPONS 

One or more .44 Russian Model Smith & Wesson 
target revolvers; Ira Paine target sights; hair trigger; 
Union Metallic Cartridge Co.'s gallery ammunition. I 







A 






*• 




Photo by W. W. Rouch. 
SHOOTING WITH REVOLVER UPSIDE DOWN 
257 



2 58 Art of Revolver Shooting 

use the revolvers which formerly belonged to Ira Paine; 
several front sights, the finest about the size of the head 
of a small pin, the stalks as fine as a needle; hind sight 
adjustable, both laterally and vertically, with screw 
adjustment; trigger-pull so light that laying the finger 
on the trigger almost sets it off. With such a revolver of 
course extreme care must be taken never, for an instant, 
to have the barrel pointed in any direction except that in 
which it would be safe for the bullet to travel, and also to 
keep the finger off the trigger till you actually want the 
bullet to go. 

Ira Paine, when shooting at objects on the head of an 
assistant, used to "come down" from above, instead of 
"coming up " in the usual way; so that if the pistol went 
off by accident there would be no danger to the assistant, 
as there would be if the muzzle travelled up his body to 
his head in sighting from below. 

I do not approve of shooting at objects on the head or 
in the hands of an assistant; it is not, in my opinion, 
justifiable to risk life in this way. But it may be chanced 
with the Devilliers composite bullet and ammunition 
already described, and, as also mentioned, a steel skull- 
cap under the assistant's wig, and steel finger guards 
under his glove, such as professional stage shots often 
use. Yet even then the assistant's eyes may be in 
danger from a bullet which does not happen to take 
the rifling. 

The other weapon is a Stevens, or Smith & Wesson, 
single-shot .22 pistol, and a Gastinne-Renette duelling 
pistol can be introduced with advantage as a change, 



Stage Shooting 2 59 

but do not shoot holding it with both hands, as a self-styled 
champion professional shot does ! 

See that a narrow plank of wood — metal would, if 
struck, make a bullet glance — is put in front of the butt 
with slits and wooden clips in it for holding objects. 

The following shots I recommend. Beginning with 
the easiest we have: 

Six stationary balls in a row. (The balls are cast 
from a mixture of resin and whitening; they are very 
brittle and break at a graze.) Take them as quickly as 
you can be sure of them. With practice you can ' ' snap ' ' 
the six off in about four seconds, or in less time with a 
double-action revolver. 

Next extract the used cartridges, and have them put 
in a row on the edge of the board, standing them on their 
bases. Hit them in quick succession. This requires a 
little more care, as they are small ; but their height pre- 
vents your being likely to miss them vertically, and you 
have merely to pay attention to keeping your horizontal 
aim correct. Be sure not to shoot too low; for if you do, 
and you hit the plank, you will jar them all off it. The 
greatest applause I ever got was when at one performance 
I made a very bad shot hitting the board and so knocking 
off all my cartridge cases by the one shot! 

This can be varied, if you are a really good shot, by 
placing the cartridges on their sides with the cap end 
towards yourself; but it requires good shooting. 

Shooting at an object with a wineglass on each side, 
without breaking the glasses, is a trick in which the 
difficulty varies according to how close the glasses are. 



260 jl r t f Revolver Shooting 

Put up a piece of paper with a black pencil line ruled 
vertically on it ; hit this line. This requires care not to 
"pull off" to one side. 

A similar line horizontal. This is more difficult, as 
the elevation must be absolutely correct if you want to 
hit the line. 

Hit a swinging ball. Take the shot on the turn ; do 




FIG. A 



not follow, but aim at an imaginary spot just inside of 
where the ball is at one end of its swing, aiming at "IX 
o'clock," as the ball is momentarily stationary at its 
farthest swing to the right, or vice versa. 

Put six balls in a row; hit one with the revolver in the 
right hand, a second with the revolver in the left hand ; a 
third and fourth with the revolver upside down (A and B), 



Stage Shooting 



261 



pulling the trigger with the little ringer and using alternate 
hands. The remaining two shots to be made with the 
revolver held half canted to the right (C), and then half 
canted to the left (D). The unusual positions explain 
themselves in the photographs. After a little practice, 
none of these positions is difficult. 

The upside-down shot, as soon as you get used to 




FIG. B 



aiming at the top edge of the ball instead of the bottom, 
is a very steady, easy position. For the two side ones, 
you aim at "IX" and at "III o'clock," respectively. 

Hang your watch on a hook on the board, and place a 
ball resting on this hook. Break the ball. This is easy, 
as the ball is, comparatively, a big mark. Aim at the 
top edge of the ball so as to break it by a grazing shot 
near the top ; this is less risky for the watch. 



262 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Do the same with any watches lent by the audience. 
A man once kept lending me his watch for this trick; I 
found out afterwards that it would not go, and he had 
hopes that I would hit it and thus be compelled to give 
him another! 

Borrow small objects from the audience, and hit 
them. Stamps on envelopes, visiting cards, bits of pencil, 
etc., are suitable; but do not shoot at anything which will 
make a bullet glance, or you may hit some of your audience. 




FIG. c 



Thus a walnut is very dangerous, causing bullets to glance ; 
an orange or an egg explodes beautifully when hit, but 
both are rather messy. The coloured balls for Christmas 
trees are nice to shoot at ; but a bullet sometimes makes a 
hole without breaking them. 

Put up the ace of hearts and hit it. It is usual to have 
a pack composed of only aces of hearts. Have several ace 
cards placed on top of each other, and, when the bullet 
goes through the group, have the cards "dealt" among 
the audience; or, if at a Charity Bazaar, sold singly. 



Stage Shooting 



263 



Messrs. De la Rue make cards with coloured bluebottle 
flies on them for me to shoot at. 

Put up the six of hearts, and hit the six pips. This 
requires some doing to get all six shots neatly in the 
separate pips. 

Put a card edgeways towards you and cut it in half. 
This is a pretty trick and brings down the house when 
well done. It requires the same skill as hitting the vertical 




FIG. D 



pencil lines. If you are not very sure of yourself, and you 
succeed on the first shot, do not risk a second try. This 
rule applies to all the difficult shots. My best score at 
this game was five cards out of six shots, the cards 
being placed edgewise at a range of fifteen feet. 

Hit a string from which an object is hanging. Get 
string which is weak, and have the object pretty heavy, 
or else you may "nick" the string without its breaking. 
Berlin wool, with a weight so heavy that it strains the 



264 Art of Revolver Shooting 

wool to nearly breaking-point, breaks with more certainty 
than string or twine. There is an ingenious, though 
scarcely legitimate, way of making this shot very easy. 
You merely double a piece of string and tie a knot, 
hanging it over two nails, the distance between which is a 
fraction under .44 inch. Two hooks on the ball are the 
same distance apart, so that the ball is thus hung by a 
double string. If you hit between these, both strings are 
necessarily cut by a .44 bullet, if your aim be true, while 
one is cut even if you hit half an inch out either side. 

Put a ball filled with red fluid on top of an empty 
claret glass; break the ball, and the glass will be filled 
with the fluid. See that the ball fits very loosely, that it 
rests only slightly in the glass — which should have a 
narrow opening like the old-fashioned champagne glass — 
or the latter will break also. 

Knock a cork off a bottle; an ordinary wine bottle or 
a wooden or metal one is dangerous if hit, as causing the 
bullet to glance; it is better to have a plaster of Paris 
bottle, painted black. 

Put up a bunch of six grapes, and take them off one 
at a time. 

Put up candles and snuff' them. To snuff a candle it 
is difficult to aim at the flame as it dazzles the eyes; but 
if you have the sight so that the pistol shoots an inch 
high and aim that distance below the flame it is easy. 

Hit two balls simultaneously, one swinging past a 
stationary one, or both swinging from opposite ways. 
You have to take them just as one is about to cover the 
other. 



Stage Shooting 26 5 

Have a ball swung round horizontally at great speed 
centrifugally from a small wheel spun by clockwork. 
This requires very good "timing," you aiming at a side 
and pulling when the ball is at the opposite side, or you 
will be too late. Stand two balls with a steel knife-edge 
between them, vertically towards you and rather nearer 
to you than the balls. Hit the knife-edge in such a 
manner as to split the bullet in two pieces, which fly off 
and break the balls. The knife must be securely fastened, 
and the precise distance between the back of it and the 
balls (which varies according to the distance they are 
apart) must be determined by experiment. 

Hitting an object with a paper on the muzzle hiding 
the mark. Cut a round hole, just big enough to slip over 
the muzzle, in a piece of thick paper the size of an ordinary 
envelope. Slip this over the muzzle, up against the front 
sight. When taking aim, it will be found that with the 
left eye closed, the paper hides the object. By keeping 
both eyes open, however, shooting is easy, the right eye 
working the sights and the left seeing the object. The 
paper must not project much to the left, or it would hide 
your view with the left eye. 

Fix a nail slightly in a block of soft wood and drive 
it home with a shot. 

Put up the ace of hearts back towards you and hit it 
by judging the centre; the back must be plain white, no 
pattern. 

If the audience is not an expert one, really difficult 
feats are less appreciated than showy ones. 



CHAPTER XXVIII 



TRICK SHOOTING 




E come now to the conjurer's 
style of shooting, which I 
would not advise anyone to 
practise, even for a Char- 
ity Bazaar; it will ruin his 
reputation as a shot. How- 
ever, I will describe here- 
under some of the devices in 
connection with this trick 
shooting. 
The chief apparatus — under different forms — is a 
lever some twelve inches long. This lever is pivoted in 
its centre ; one end has a steel disc about a foot in diameter, 
or less, according to the shooter's skill, — of a size he is sure 
of never missing, — the other end has a steel point at right 
angles. The lever is placed vertically at such a height 
that the steel spike is just opposite the middle of the ball 
which is placed on the assistant's head. The steel disc 
is some eight inches above the man's head; the whole of 
this apparatus is hidden from the audience behind the 

"back-cloth" of the scenery. The locality of the disc is 

266 



Trick Shooting 26 7 

indicated to the shooter by something in the scenery, as a 
pattern, or a trophy of flags, etc. 

The assistant stands with his back against the back- 
cloth, and the ball is on his head so that the steel spike is 
just clear of the middle of the ball and hidden behind the 
back-cloth; the shooter then fires at the trophy of flags, 
or what not (which is eight or more inches above the man's 
head, and therefore an easy and practically safe shot) ; 
the bullet hitting the disc drives it back, the other end of 
the lever with the spike comes forward, the spike goes 
through the scenery, breaks the ball, and at once returns 
out of sight. The trick is varied by having the lever 
inside a dummy figure, the performer shooting into the 
figure to break small objects on its head or in its mouth. 
A bellows is sometimes behind the back-cloth with the 
nozzle at the flame of a candle and the flame is blown out 
when the bellows is hit. The shooter is of course supposed 
by the audience to have snuffed the candle. 

This sort of shooting can be done at quite long range — 
for instance, from the back of the gallery to the back of 
the stage — but the lever has then to be lengthened so as to 
minimise risk to the assistant. 

Another way in which the candle trick is done is to 
have each candle inside a large concave reflector; the 
splash from the bullet comes back from the reflector 
and puts out the candle. 

Shooting at anything moving — swinging balls, etc. — ■ 
is done with shot ; the shooting in this case must be done 
with a back-cloth over the butt, as the splashes on a naked 
steel plate would betray the use of shot. This makes 



268 Art of Revolver Shooting 

very easy what in legitimate shooting requires nice "tim- 
ing." The cartridge is either filled simply with special 
shot even smaller than "dust" shot, or if the cartridges 
are likely to be seen they are loaded with hollow wooden 
black-leaded bullets, full of shot, which the rifling of the 
barrel breaks, and these are substituted by "palming" for 
real bulleted cartridges shown to the audience. Shot is 
sometimes fired out of a smooth bore revolver. 

Two balls are broken with a revolver in each hand, 
shot simultaneously. This is always considered very 
wonderful, the performer pretending to take a long time 
over his aim, etc. One revolver is loaded with shot, the 
other with blank ammunition. The one loaded with shot 
is aimed between the two balls ; the spread of shot breaks 
both balls. 

Knocking ashes off a cigar smoked by assistant: 
A long hat-pin is put into the cigar, the point just reaching 
up to the ashes. On the shot — a blank cartridge — being 
fired, the assistant pushes the knob of the pin with his 
tongue, and dislodges the ashes. 

Objects held in the fingers or resting on the shoulders 
of assistants are shot with cork or Devilliers bullets, and 
the assistant wears hidden steel epaulets and finger-tips. 

Blindfold shooting is done by seeing down the side 
of the nose on to a looking-glass fixed at an angle behind 
the hind sight. 

What is called shooting through a wedding-ring and 
breaking a ball is done with the lever apparatus; the 
bullet does not go through the ring, but above it. 

Shooting at the trigger of a loaded rifle fixed in a rest, 



Trick Shooting 



269 



the shot from the rifle breaking a ball on the shooter's 
head, is also another form of the lever apparatus. 

Lately trick shooters have been shooting at toy 
balloons of a dark colour with a very small white spot 
painted on them. The balloons at once collapse wherever 
hit, and the audience thinks the small white spot has been 
hit. When using a pistol they often hold it with both 
hands, which, of course, is not real pistol-shooting. If 
you see the barrel of a stage shooter's firearm wobbling 
during aiming you can be sure there is no real shooting 
being done. 

I think that in stage performances there should be a 
committee of shooting men appointed by the audience to 
see that the shooting is genuine and not trick shooting. 



' 




CHAPTER XXIX 



BLANK AMMUNITION FOR STAGE PURPOSES 




■',.") 






t 3 p 



LANK ammunition, known generally 

as "Fourth of July" ammunition, 

is usually made with a wad tightly 

crimped over the powder so as 

to make as loud a report as 

possible. 

There is a chance of 'a 
piece of the crimped metal of 
the cartridge coming out 
of the barrel, and this may 
do a fatal injury if it should hit anyone. Most peo- 
ple using blank ammunition on the stage and else- 
where think it harmless and frequently fire right into 
each other's faces, at a distance of a few feet, or even 
inches. It is extremely dangerous to shoot blank am- 
munition at people — apart from the rule that one should 
never, under any circumstances, point a revolver at any- 
one, unless one wishes to hit him. 

A boy ought to be whipped if he shoots blank ammu- 
nition at anyone, or even if he points an empty or toy 
weapon at anyone. I saw a man's two eyes permanently 

injured on the stage, in a mock duel, through the 

270 



Blank Ammunition 2 7 1 

wad and burnt particles of powder hitting him in the 
face. 

Some actors "blaze away" up in the air (under the 
impression that they cannot thus do any damage), either 
up into the ' ' flies," to the imminent danger of setting them 
on fire or injuring the limelight man, or else into the grand 
tier boxes, out of which most likely one of the occupants 
is at that moment craning his head and risking getting 
the whole charge full in his face. 

There is a pneumatic imitation pistol which makes 
the "bang" by breaking a piece of paper or rubber 
stretched inside the barrel (on the principle of "popping" 
a paper bag by first inflating it and then bursting it with 
a clap of the hands) ; this makes plenty of noise, and is 
much safer than blank ammunition. 

There have been so many fatal accidents in stage 
battles and duels that I think all stage arms should be 
built on the last principle; it would also be an econ- 
omy, as the ammunition gets used wholesale in these 
battles. 

Another great danger is the chance of a loaded cart- 
ridge having been mixed up amongst the blanks at the 
factory ; or (according to an inquest reported in the press) 
when blank ammunition of different calibres is used (as 
rifle and revolver) , of a cartridge of smaller bore dropping 
into the barrel and being shot out by the next one that is 
fired. The foregoing remarks apply also to shooting 
blank ammunition for starting a foot-race, etc. In this 
case the paper bag "bang" would not be loud enough, 
and blank ammunition must be used. 



2 7 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

I was standing behind the starter in a trotting race, 
where the starting was done in the primitive way of 
firing a pistol. The man put his hand behind his back 
and fired into my feet ! 







CHAPTER XXX 



BIG-GAME SHOOTING WITH THE REVOLVER 




DO not think the revolver is of 
much use for stalking deer or other 
big game. Of course it is out of 
the question for any of the thick- 
skinned animals. But for shooting 
from horseback, at very short range, 
I think it is better than a rifle. One 
can swing much better with it when 
in a cramped position, or when both 
the object aimed at and yourself are 
moving, than with a rifle. 

The revolver was a favourite weapon in "buffalo 
running " in the old days. I should think it would be very 
good for "pig" in India, as a change from spearing; but 
I suppose this suggestion is a heresy. Anyhow, for a 
leopard, or other animal too dangerous to be tackled with a 
spear, it would be useful. I sometimes carry a revolver 
when bear or wild-boar shooting on the Continent, in 
case a boar gets me down, but I prefer to trust to my 
rifle as long as possible. 

When park-deer are killed, instead of the very tame 

sport of following them around in a cart, or sitting up a 
18 273 



2 74 Art of Revolver Shooting 

tree, a gallop round after them on a good horse with a 
revolver is capital fun, and it is surprising what pretty 
running shots one can get under these circumstances. 
The first thing is to have a fast, smooth-galloping, quiet, 
handy horse. Horses learn to stand fire very soon, if you 
shoot a light charge some distance off at first, and then 
come gradually nearer; the secret of the whole thing is, 
never to shoot close past the horse's ears, or not, at any 
rate, until he gets thoroughly seasoned. I know a Belgian 
charger who lets a revolver be fired literally within three 
inches of his nose. 

It is useless to try to shoot off a horse unless both 
you and your horse understand "school" riding. An 
ordinary hunter, ridden in the ordinary hunting style 
needing both hands to lug at his head, and requiring 
half a field to stop or turn him in, is very dangerous at 
this game. 

The horse must turn, change legs, stop dead, and start 
again under the control of one hand only. A smart polo 
pony might do, but I prefer something bigger, — about 
15.2, — so as to be "more over your work" (the mare in 
the photographs is sixteen hands), as then one shoots 
downwards and can often get a shot where it would be 
dangerous to shoot more horizontally, as towards houses 
and the like. 

A horse that naturally leads with his near leg when 
allowed to choose his own lead is preferable, as, having to 
range up on the near side of the deer to shoot, you can 
shoot better leading on the near leg, as this turns you 
slightlv towards the deer. A horse is smoothest in his 



2 7 6 Art of Revolver Shooting 

natural lead, and is rougher and consequently more 
difficult to shoot off when leading on the other leg. 

One can wear the holster as the cowboys do — a belt 
round the waist and the revolver hanging on the right 
hip, not round the waist in front as army men carry it. 
In front it is in the way of your bridle hand, and it is not 
so handy to draw; but, worn on the hip, it is also danger- 
ous in case of a fall, and is perhaps best in a saddle holster. 

The revolver must fit loosely, so as to draw easily ; but 
the holster must be deep enough, and must hang so as 
not to drop the pistol out in galloping. The flap of 
the saddle — where the hunting-horn is carried — is a good 
place to hang the holster against, but this arrangement 
might hurt one if the horse rolled over ; and when shooting 
dangerous game one might be left defenceless by the 
horse galloping off with the revolver. 

The few cartridges necessary can be carried in the 
right coat pocket; they are awkward to disengage from 
loops in your belt or wristlet, and are apt to become 
battered out of shape. 

My favourite weapon for shooting fallow deer is the 
one I have already described more than once, — the old 
.44 Smith & Wesson, with gallery ammunition, or the .38 
double-action Military. For red deer perhaps a heavier 
Charge is better; a Smith & Wesson or a Colt "police" 
.38 calibre, full charge. In a park it is important, for 
safety's sake, to use as small a charge as practicable. 

It is best to have the revolver in the holster, with one 
chamber unloaded if a single-action, and to keep the 
hammer down on the unloaded chamber till the actual 



2 78 Art of Revolver Shooting 

moment you want to shoot; and if you do not, for any 
reason, fire instantly, put it at half-cock at once. I have 
elsewhere explained how to do this one-handed. If you 
cannot do it one-handed, on no account use both hands; 
rather fire the shot into the ground at once. If you have 
the reins in your left hand (with most likely an excited, 
plunging horse to manage), and try to use both hands in 
letting down to half-cock, you will, in all probability, let 
off the revolver by accident. 

When you have fired — unless you instantly want to 
fire another shot — do not cock the revolver, but leave the 
hammer down on the exploded case. 

Never "follow" with your revolver at full-cock, for 
in the excitement of the gallop, and in the wheeling about, 
you may, without knowing it, be pointing your revolver in 
a dangerous direction; or your horse may fall, and you 
may let the revolver off in consequence. All this does 
not apply to double-action revolvers. 

Red deer generally give a faster and a longer run ; and 
a stag during the rutting season may charge your horse if 
you range up too close and hustle him too much. 

Ride up to the herd at a slow walk, as though you 
were out for a ride and about to pass them, going so as to 
pass along the left-hand side of them. If you walk up 
slowly, not looking at them (but watching the deer you 
want out of the corner of your eye), you can get up 
very close for the first shot and will, probably, get a 
standing one. 

When you get up to the herd, unless you at once shoot 
the deer you want, it is astonishing how soon the one you 



280 Art of Revolver Shooting 

are after finds out your intentions. The stag, or buck, will 
push the other deer aside with his horns, keep his head low 
behind other deer, and always try to keep another deer 
between himself and you. If you try to ride him down by 
following him in all his windings through the herd, you 
will most likely get a fall by one of the deer getting 
between your horse's legs. A mounted horse has no 
chance in a doubling match with a deer. The easier plan 
is to get the herd running steadily in one direction, strung 
out, and then gradually to get up level with the one you 
want. 

In deer-stalking, if a deer be wounded it is best to 
keep well out of sight, and not follow him up for half an 
hour, so as to "let him get sick" as the foresters say; but 
when shooting with a revolver off horseback, if the ground 
is at all rideable, or the deer are in a park, it is best to press 
him as hard as possible; if he is hard hit he will at once 
leave the herd and then it is a comparatively easy matter 
to run him down and shoot him. I find that a wounded 
park-deer hugs the park palings as a rule. This way of 
shooting is in my opinion a much more humane way of 
killing park-deer than with a rifle on foot, as a wounded 
deer is so much more quickly put out of pain. On 
foot a deer may be followed for hours before he can be 
shot, or he may get into a hollow and not be found until 
next day. 

"The Lovat mixture" of grey-green (most people 
wear too light a grey for deer-stalking) is the best colour 
for one's clothes if after wild deer; but in a park I prefer 
white flannels as being cooler, as it is very hard work on 



282 Art of Revolver Shooting 

a hot August day, and in this respect is not unlike a game 
of polo. 

I prefer a short-cheeked, single-rein curb with a loose 
curb-chain, but the mare, Rose (shown in the photograph), 
had a peculiar mouth and fought a curb, going best in a 
Newmarket snaffle. With this she was as handy as a 
Cossack horse; in fact I had hardly to touch her mouth. 
The mere action of leaning back and touching her with the 
calves of my legs, made her stop dead. She would shoot 
off from a stand if I leant forward, and swing round sharp 
with the pressure of my "outside" leg. N. B. — Why do 
writers on riding so often talk of pressing with the knee 
to turn a horse? One uses the knees to grip with and the 
legs for turning and collecting, etc. She would also (and 
this I have never seen another horse do) stand close up to 
a man shooting a rifle in the prone position and not start 
when he finally fired after aiming for half a minute. Rose 
understood her business perfectly, and chased almost by 
herself the deer I wanted. I do not recommend a martin- 
gale if it can possibly be avoided, as it is apt to throw a 
horse down. If you must have one, a fixed one is prefer- 
able though more dangerous, but I have known a horse 
win a steeplechase in a tight fixed martingale, a horse that 
was unmanageable without one. 

Unless you want "meat " very badly, it is much neater 
to shoot through the neck or back of the head. I do not 
like the side, brain shot, as if you are the least bit too low 
you break the poor beast's jaw, and he may give you a 
long chase, and perhaps go off and die of starvation. 

Be careful that your horse does not whip out from 



28 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

under you as the deer collapses, or, as is more usual, as the 
deer stumbles or bounds out to one side in falling, scatter- 
ing the other deer in all directions. Your horse is also 
likely to swerve from a dead deer when he smells the 
blood, on your going up to the deer on foot, and he may 
jerk the reins out of \^our hands and gallop off. 

After one or two such shots the herd will get on the 
run; then, keeping on the inside of the circle as they race 
along, press them fast, so that they get strung out; never 
mind about getting a shot; first endeavour to get them 
well strung out, so that if you make a miss you do not hit 
another. If you can break them up into several lots by 
riding through them, and thus get in a small lot the deer 
you want, so much the better. Then when you have your 
special deer galloping well clear and moving steadily and 
evenly, — as he will after be becomes a little tired, — put 
your horse on the near leg in his gallop, driving him well 
up into his bridle and collected for an instant turn; 
gradually edge as close to the deer as you can. With 
care you can get within ten yards, both horse and deer 
going at a good fast canter. If the horse is a very smooth 
galloper, you can sit well down in the saddle; if he has 
a high or rolling action, stand in the stirrups, but a rolling 
galloper is very unsatisfactory for this work. Then, aim- 
ing with a straight arm, swing either forward on the deer's 
neck, or — and this is the neatest shot of all — between 
his ears at the back of his head. Of course, this must be 
a "snap" shot; you cannot hold your sight. Be careful 
not to hit his horns, or the bullet may glance off and strike 
you or your horse. If he is hit behind the ears properly, 





• ' I 



HH 



286 Art of Revolver Shooting 

he turns over like a rabbit, and you flash past him before 
you can stop, nothing remaining but for you to pull up, 
dismount, and "gralloch." This shooting is for the 
most part done rather by "sense direction" than by any 
attempt to align the sights. 

If you want more deer, you can take, in a few seconds, 
one after another in this way, without stopping your horse. 

If the buck is hit in the neck, he will, most likely, 
lurch to one side, often coming round in a semicircle 
before falling ; and you must be very careful he does not 
then put your horse down, or, if you are at full-cock for 
another shot, make you shoot your horse. 

One of the advantages of shooting with the horse lead- 
ing with the near fore is that at the shot, or at "charge," 
you can wheel to the left and get clear. The old "buffalo- 
runner ' ' horses were taught to turn sharp at the report of 
the shot, so as to avoid a lurch or a "charge " without any 
hint from the rider. 

If you try to get up too soon for a shot when the deer 
are running, or come up too abruptly or too fast, they will 
begin bounding in the air; but if you are cautious you can, 
after some galloping, even stop and stand on the inside of 
the turn, and they will slacken and trot past you, or stop 
and stand preparatory to wheeling back; though in this 
case they will almost invariably start off again as you 
raise your arm. 

When galloping alongside a deer, unless there is 
another in front of him to lead him on, he may whip back ; 
it is always best to let a few hinds or does keep in front of 
the beast you wish to shoot. They will keep him moving 



288 Art of Revolver Shooting 

more steadily, and you will know the direction in which 
he intends to travel, as he will follow the others. 

The revolver is very handy for roe-stalking, as you 
generally get close shots in covert. A revolver is also 
very useful to wear when in a. deer forest. As everyone 
knows who has done much stalking or deer driving, there 
are occasions when a wounded stag is too active to "stick," 



££. 




EXTENSION STOCK, AS APPLIED TO .44 SINGLE-ACTION REVOLVERS 



and yet to shoot would disturb other deer. In this case, 
a revolver with a gallery charge is much less apt to move 
other deer than a rifle-shot, especially if you stand with 
your back in the direction in which you do not want the 
sound to travel, and place the muzzle of the revolver close 
to the deer so as to deaden the sound of the explosion. 
In shooting at game — in fact, in all revolver shooting 



Big-Game Shooting with the Revolver 28 9 

other than target competitions — it is best to aim high or 
low according to distance, rather than to alter the sights 
for different ranges. 

Those who use a conical bullet for park-deer should give 
the preference to an "express" or hollow-pointed one as 
being less likely to glance off a tree, — no small advantage 
in a populous neighbourhood with facilities for accidents. 

Some French hunts use a .44 Smith & Wesson re- 
volver, full charge, with a detachable stock for shooting 
deer and boar when at bay, to save the hounds. 




19 



CHAPTER XXXI 



TARGET SHOOTING OFF HORSEBACK 




|Y instructions as to the sort of horse to 
ride and how to ride him, given in the 
remarks on big-game shooting, also ap- 
ply to target shooting off horseback. 
When shooting off a standing horse at 
a stationary mark, turn the horse facing 
to the left at an angle of forty-five 
degrees. This is to prevent his flinch- 
ing at the shots, as any but a very 
seasoned horse would be sure to do if 
you shot straight over his head or close past his ears. 
Also if he were to toss his head when you were shoot- 
ing over it you might both kill him and get either a 
rearing backward fall, with the horse on top of you, or 
else a "purler" over his head. If the horse shies 
away from the outstretched arm, tie a handkerchief 
over his off eye, as the bullfighters do, and stuff 
cotton wool in his ears, until he is accustomed to the 
noise and flash. 

There should be a bar in front of the horse to prevent 
his getting closer to the target than the distance for which 

the match is arranged; but if the bar be low, and the horse 

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Photo by W. W. Rouch. 



SHOOTING OFF HORSEBACK CHARGING 

29I 



2 92 Art of Revolver Shooting 

a good fencer, he is apt to jump at the bar. It is very- 
difficult to get a horse to keep absolutely still, and for that 
reason it is often more difficult to shoot when the horse is 
fidgeting than when he is swinging along at a gallop. 

For shooting at a gallop or a canter, children's balloons, 
put up on the "heads and posts" principle, are very good 
marks as they can be shot at with Devilliers bullets, 
shooting alternately to the right and left. I can also 
recommend a target on the principle of the Bisley "run- 
ning deer," travelling on rails parallel to a railing, on the 
other side of which the shooter gallops and which prevents 
his getting too close to the target. 

Firing blank ammunition at " lightning paper ' ' 
stuck in the cleft of a stick is very good practice, is less 
troublesome than using the Devilliers bullet, which does 
not stand rapid firing in a hot revolver, and is, moreover, 
less dangerous to spectators. The paper flares up on being 
touched by burning particles of powder, but of course the 
shooting must be done at a distance of a few feet only. 

I do not think there is much advantage in cantering 
too slowly; the speed at which the horse goes smoothest, 
without raking or boring, is the best. 

For practical purposes, shooting behind one when 
galloping is useful. It is an assistance, when first learn- 
ing, to catch hold of the pommel of the saddle with the 
bridle hand as you swing your body round to fire. When 
shooting alternately to right and left, be sure to lift the 
muzzle of the revolver clear of the horse's head as you 
swing it from side to side, or you may shoot your horse in 
the head if he should happen to toss it at that moment. 



Target Shooting off Horseback 2 93 

With modern, high- velocity, nickel- jacketed rifle- 
bullets it is useless to try sheltering yourself behind the 
body of your horse, when being shot at with a rifle; but 
against a revolver-bullet it may be useful. To do this, 
catch hold of the horse's mane with the bridle hand, 
sink your body down along his neck on the side farthest 
from your adversary, hook your left heel against the 
cantle of your saddle, and shoot at him under your horse's 
neck as you come quartering diagonally towards him. 
A tall man on a small horse can get very well round the 
horse's neck. As you pass, you can take a parting shot 
diagonally behind you under your left arm past your 
horse's quarters without shifting your position. 

There is a lot of sport and practice to be got out of 
shooting at each other in pairs with the Devilliers bullet, 
having, besides the usual protection for the shooters, 
the horses protected with horse clothing and their eyes 
with thick glass. The shooting is done either by 
charging past each other or circling round each other, 
spectators keeping out of range. 




CHAPTER XXXII 



SMALL-GAME SHOOTING 




HNE can get much amusement 
out of a revolver, or a sin- 
gle-shot pistol, at small 
game or vermin. (I beg 
that you will not shoot cats ; 
they are my special pets, 
and as I am doing my best 
to instruct you in revolver 
shooting you might do me 
the favour of sparing them.) 
Rabbits lying out are generally too long shots for the 
revolver, but a .22 pistol, if held straight, — and therein 
lies the difficulty, — shoots well up to fifty or sixty yards 
with a long rifle cartridge; the revolver can be used 
in ferreting where there is no danger from the bullets. 
In waiting for rats, or shooting grouse or black game in a 
deer forest where the noise of a shot-gun would disturb 
the deer, a pistol is useful. I once shot with my revolver 
a wild duck skimming over a lake. 

The smooth-bore revolver, used with shot, is useful 

for thinning off small, mischievous birds in a garden where 

294 



Small Game Shooting 2 95 

a revolver shooting bullets would be dangerous ; but it has 
not power enough for any but the very small birds. 

At the beginning of the last century it used to be 
considered a great performance to have "hit a swallow on 
the wing with a duelling pistol " ; and the feat was always 
held up as proof of extraordinary proficiency with the 
pistol. As a matter of fact, besides being a piece of brutal 
cruelty, it required no skill at all. The method of pro- 
cedure used to be to go up into a belfry, or other place 
where swallows nested, to find a nest with young ones in 
it, then to hold the pistol with both hands, steadying the 
barrel against the side of a window or opening in the 
tower, the muzzle pointing at the mouth of the nest, and 
only a few feet, or even inches, from the nest. When 
one of the old birds came home with food for the young, 
and fluttered for a moment, hovering at the mouth of the 
nest before going in, the pistol was fired, and the great 
feat accomplished! 

Double-barrelled pistols are now extremely rare, 
though they were in use before the revolver was perfected. 

A big-bore, double-barrelled pistol would be of use for 
some purposes, where portability is not of consequence, as, 
for instance, as a smooth bore for shot, or as a last resource 
when shooting dangerous game. 

They are best made with the single-trigger arrange- 
ment now used on some double-barrelled shot-guns, as it 
is difficult to shift the finger from one trigger to the other 
when holding a pistol in one hand. This may be the 
reason why double pistols went out of use in the days 
when the single trigger was unknown. 



CHAPTER XXXIII 



PIGEON SHOOTING WITH THE PISTOL 




;NCE, as an experiment, Gastinne- 
Renette, the Paris gunmaker, 
made me a duelling pistol with 
an interchangeable shot barrel, 
.32 bore, ten inches long; shoot- 
ing f ounce of shot, and i\ drams 
of black powder. This shoots 
wonderfully well. At twelve 
yards it makes with No. 8 shot 
about the same pattern as a 12 
bore cylinder gun at forty yards with No. 6 shot. 

I tried it at pigeons, twelve yards rise, three traps, 
and got forty-four out of eighty. I had a man with a 
gun, to kill any hit birds which flew out of bounds. I 
found I could kill all, or almost all, crossing shots and 
incomers at least as well as I can with a gun. One bird 
coming straight over, which I shot leaning backwards, 
just as it was past me, was a shot I do not think I could 
have made with a gun. 

Those going fast straight away I could not account 
for very well, owing to the small charge. Most of my 

"lost" birds were of this description; most of them 

296 



Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol 2 97 

"feathered." but not hard hit enough to stop them within 
bounds, and the scout shot them. The forty-four I scored 




HOW TO HOLD THE SHOT PISTOL 

Note handle extension over the thumb to counteract length of barrel 

were not shot at by the scout, but killed fairly with the 
pistol alone. 

I should think such a pistol would be very good for 
sparrow or starling shooting out of traps. 

I have not tried a smooth-barrelled revolver with shot 
at pigeons, as I do not think it would have enough pellets 
or enough penetration; for sparrows it might perhaps 
suffice. 

In this sort of pigeon shooting the arm must be held 



298 Art of Revolver Shooting 

straight, and the pistol pointed just below the middle 
trap; the eyes must watch the traps, not the sights, and, 
as you follow the bird with your eyes, the pistol must be 
brought up as for rapid-firing or traversing targets, 
according as the bird is going straight or crossing you. 
With a shot-gun you must have your stock the proper 
length, bend, cast-off, etc.; with the pistol, if you keep 
your arm straight, nature has provided you with a 
"stock" of flesh and blood exactly your proper fit. 



■ - ■- 



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CHAPTER XXXIV 
CLAY-PIGEON SHOOTING WITH THE PISTOL 




T is useless, unless you are an ex- 
ceptionally good revolver-shot, 
to try to shoot clay pigeons out 
of the ordinary traps with a 
pistol. For shooting with a 
bullet they go too fast; and for 
the shot-pistol they are out of 
range too soon. The best way 
is to have them sprung over 
your head from behind, and to 
hit them as they skim overhead; but you must gen- 
erally use shot, as, under ordinary circumstances, bullets 
would be dangerous if fired into the air. If, in this style 
of shooting, the trap throws a weak "saucer," the latter 
may hit you a nasty blow. 

My way of shooting clay pigeons is either to have 
them bowled down-hill from beside me, which gives very 
good practice for shooting at with a bullet, — it is too easy 
for shot, — or else to have a trap which throws the discs 
straight up. 

One of my traps has a horizontal cylinder which con- 
tains clay discs; these are pressed close against one end 

299 



300 Art of Revolver Shooting 

of the cylinder by a spiral spring. A lever, which flies 
up by a strong spring, is kept down by a string held 
tightly by an assistant who stands behind me. When 
the word "Pull!" is given, he loosens the string, the 
lever is released and flies upwards through a slit in the end 
of the cylinder, throwing the disc straight up in the air, 
to the height of about ten feet, out of an opening at the 
other side of the cylinder. The end of the cylinder is 
towards you, so that the discs also are thrown with their 
flat sides towards you. This gives one a nice shot for 
the bullet, as the disc has to be taken just at the highest 
point of its flight, and teaches one to "snap." When 
the lever is pulled down again, the spiral spring in the 
cylinder drives the group of discs forward, putting the next 
in rotation over the slit, to be thrown in its turn. Hence 
there is no necessity for the trapper to go forward. He 
merely keeps pulling the lever down and releasing it 
until the cylinder is emptied of its discs, and you can 
shoot as fast as you please. 

Another way is to have the old-fashioned Bogardus 
trap, which throws glass balls, or, better still, composite 
balls, as these do not mess up a lawn so. These are 
rather harder to hit than the objects I have just described, 
as they do not come up quite vertically, but in a parabola. 
They are therefore more suitable, perhaps for the shot- 
pistol or revolver. 

The advantage of "saucers" for practising quick 
revolver shooting is that there is no cruelty in it ; although 
there was an old lady who said that the poor clay pigeons 
suffer just as much as any other breed. 



Clay-Pigeon Shooting 



301 



Shooting at a tin can laid on the ground and keeping 
it hopping by shots just under it is a favourite shooting 
trick. A child's rubber ball gives a great variety of 
sporting shots, if hung by a string and kept swinging 
by hitting, or if started rolling down a hill. 

Clay pigeons also make good marks stuck on sticks 
at unknown distances, and "snapped" at. 




CHAPTER XXXV 



SHOOTING IN SELF-DEFENCE 




jHIS chapter is written entirely from 
the technical point of view as a 
branch of revolver shooting, while 
the legal aspect of the question 
is treated by law experts in the 
Appendix. Whether there is justi- 
fication, in self-defence, in kill- 
ing anyone is another matter, 
but of course cases occur when a 
man must shoot in order to save 
someone dependent upon him. Fortunately in the 
great majority of cases the object of protecting oneself — 
or, what is more important, protecting someone else — 
is attained without actually shooting. The mere fact 
of being armed is generally sufficient, and in many 
cases wearing the revolver openly or having it in 
one's hand, even unloaded, suffices. As Polonius says: 
"Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, bear 't 
that the opposed one may beware of thee." But, if 
shooting has to be done, everything depends on getting 
the first shot. 

As I said above, I am not dealing with the ethical 

302 



Shooting in Self-Defence 3°3 

aspect of the case; and, putting that aside, if you can 
take your adversary unawares, and "get the drop on 
him" before he gets it on you, you have him at your 
mercy. 

A short-barrelled revolver is best if it has to be con- 
cealed, but of as big a calibre as you can carry without its 



t £^ 




SMITH & WESSON HAMMERLESS SAFETY REVOLVERS .38 AND .32 CALIBRE 



being too bulky and showing in your pocket. If there be 
no necessity for concealment, carry one six inches in the 
barrel. 

Some prefer a large-bore army revolver, with the 
barrel cut down to two inches. I am assuming that the 
shooting will be done at a distance of only a few feet, and 
without aim in the ordinary sense of the word. 

As elsewhere explained, it is very dangerous to carry 
an ordinary revolver loaded in the pocket, even at half- 
cock, especially if it be a self-cocker. 




304 Art of Revolver Shooting 

The proper way with a single-action revolver is to 
leave one chamber unloaded and to lower the hammer on 
that empty chamber. 

The Smith & Wesson .38 calibre safety hammerless 
pocket revolver obviates these risks. This revolver 
cannot go off accidentally, even when all the chambers 

are loaded, as there 
is a safety catch 
which prevents the 
revolver from being 
discharged unless it 
is pressed at the 
same time that the 

MECHANISM OF THE SMITH & WESSON HAMMER- 
LESS safety revolver trigger is pulled. 
A, Safety Lever; B ^Safety Catch; C, Hammer; Anyone USed to 

D, Trigger; G, Safety Latch Spring J 

revolver shooting, 
who holds it as I have described in my instructions 
for revolver shooting, and squeezes the trigger, will be 
able to shoot without thinking of the safety catch, for he 
presses it unconsciously in gripping the stock. A person 
not accustomed to a revolver cannot, however, fire 
it ; in fact, if a man not an expert revolver-shot wrested 
the revolver from you, it would be harmless in his 
hands against you. Indeed, . the pistol could without 
danger be given, loaded, to a small child to play 
with, as it requires a stronger grip than a child's to 
discharge it. 

Most revolver accidents occur through the hammer 
receiving an accidental blow, slipping from the thumb 
or catching in something, or from the trigger being 




o 

r*3 




306 Art of Revolver Shooting 

touche unintentionally, or the revolver being left at 
full-cock. 

In the Smith & Wesson safety revolver all these causes 
of accident are impossible, and it is always ready for 
instant use. Its further advantages are: 

i . There is no external hammer to catch in anything. 

2. Pressure on the trigger cannot discharge the 
revolver unless the stock is properly grasped at the same 
time. 

3. The revolver cannot be kept at full-cock. 

4. Being hammerless, and having no projections, 
it can be drawn more quickly than an ordinary 
revolver. 

5. It can be carried with absolute safety loaded in 
the pocket, with the knowledge that a fall or blow will 
not discharge it. 

This revolver is also made in smaller calibre (.32), 
with both 3 in. and i}^ in. barrel. In the latter case it is 
called a bicycle revolver, and takes up less room in the 
pocket. 

This calibre might be better for a lady's use ; but for a 
man I prefer the larger calibre, as being more powerful. 
A .44 calibre made on this model would be best of all for 
a man to carry. 

The cocking by trigger action in this revolver is so 
arranged that it can, with a little practice, be held at 
full-cock whilst the aim is taken, instead of the cocking 
and firing being a continuous action, as in other double- 
action revolvers. 

Carrying the revolver in the hip pocket is in my 



Shooting in Self -Defence $°l 

opinion a mistake, as the movement of putting back the 
hand to draw will instantly put an adversary on his guard 
and most likely draw his fire. 

For a case where you are likely to be robbed, the inside 
breast-pocket (where bank-notes are usually carried) is 
a good place for the revolver, as, when you are asked for 
your money, you can appear to be taking it out of this 
pocket whilst you are really drawing the revolver ; or 
the revolver can be shot from this pocket without 
drawing it. 

Usually the right-hand side-pocket of a jacket is the 
handiest, or, rather, the pocket on the side of the hand you 
can shoot with best. 

Shooting through the pocket is as quick and unex- 
pected a way as any ; another is to turn partly away, and 
in doing so draw and fire from behind your back, or under 
your other arm. 

But, assuming that you would prefer, if possible, to 
capture your assailant without shooting him, try whether 
you cannot unexpected^ "get the drop" (i.e., an aim) on 
him and make him hold up his hands before he can 
draw his revolver 

As in fencing and boxing, the great thing is never to 
take your eyes off your opponent for an instant ; and if 
by any subterfuge you can induce him to take his eyes 
off you, or distract his attention to anything else, then is 
the time to "get the drop" on him, or, as a last resource, 
to shoot. 

Knocking a chair over, throwing something past or at 
him with your non-shooting hand, or calling out to some 



3o8 Art of Revolve?' Shooting 

imaginary, or real, person behind him may often have the 
desired effect. 

If he is a really "bad" man, and armed, the worst 
thing you can do is to take a revolver in your hand — or 
even make towards it — unless you mean to shoot in- 
stantly; it will only draw his fire, or he may unexpectedly 
disarm you in the way described below. 

Supposing you are unarmed and your adversary has 
a revolver, you may be able to render his weapon harmless 
by ejecting his cartridges. 

The way to do this varies with different makes of re- 
volvers, but the principle in each case with a revolver 
having a " break down" action consists in making a 
downward stroke on the barrel of his revolver with 
one of your hands, and in the same movement operating 
the opening catch or lever with your thumb. 

If you get an assistant to take an empty revolver and 
point it at you, and you practise this trick, you will find 
it very simple and effective ; but of course there would be no 
use in trying it with an adversary who suspected you were 
about to do so. The Smith & Wesson Russian Model can 
be rendered harmless by seizing the middle of the barrel 
with your thumb under the catch, you being to the left 
and using your right hand, or vice versa. Simultaneously 
with seizing the revolver give a quick quarter turn to your 
wrist to the right, and all the cartridges will fly out. 

With the Webley, you place your thumb over instead 
of under the catch in seizing the revolver, and press your 
thumb towards the palm of your hand in making the 
wrench. 



310 Art of Revolver Shooting 

With solid frame revolvers, like the new Colt and the 
Smith & Wesson, you operate the catch, and instead of 
twisting your wrist you push out the cylinder with your 
first and second fingers, at the same time pushing the 
extractor plunger with your little finger. This make 
of revolver, however, is more difficult to disarm suddenly 
than those I have named above. 

With any hammer revolver you can make it harmless 
by slipping your thumb under the hammer, as Gastinne- 
Renette's assistants always hand you a loaded duelling 
pistol, or, if you are strong in the grip, by holding the 
cylinder and preventing its revolving after the first shot 
is fired. 

I saw a very good suggestion in an article in an 
American paper — the writer's name I unfortunately 
forget — to the effect that it was an excellent thing, when 
expecting "trouble,' ' to wear a big revolver ostentatiously 
and to have a smaller one in your hand, concealed under a 
cape, or otherwise; your adversary would think himself 
safe as long as he watched your big revolver and saw that 
you had not put your hand near it, whilst all the time 
you would be ready to "hold him up" or shoot with the 
other revolver, the existence of which he would not 
suspect. 

If a burglar is in your house, do not carry a candle, 
as that makes you an easy target in case he should try 
to shoot at you. If you can get to the electric light switch 
unobserved, aim in his direction and then turn up the 
light so that you have the drop on him as the light appears 
and he will be at your mercy. The iron rails of banisters, 



Shooting in Self -Defence 3n 

especially if they are wide, ornamental ones, are a good 
protection. A door is of no use (except for concealment 
before the man has seen you) , as a bullet with an ordinary 
charge will go through it. 

Use a light charge (gallery ammunition by preference) 
for house protection, or you may shoot some of your 
family through a thin wall when "burglar-potting." 

Out-of-doors, too, a lamp-post, or other narrow object, 
will spoil a man's aim by making him try to hit that 
part of you which shows on either side instead of his 
having your full width to aim at, even if it is too narrow 
or small fully to protect you. 

It is better not to try to give him a small mark to aim 
at by standing sideways, as then, if he hits you, he will 
rake all through your vitals ; whereas if you are facing him 
squarely he may put several bullets into you without fatal 
effect.. Holding your bent arm across your heart, and at 
the same time protecting your temples with the side of 
your revolver, — which duellists do directly they have 
fired, — may be of some use; but it is better to depend upon 
hitting your adversary before he hits you. If he shoots 
and misses you, drop at once, as if hit, and keep still, 
when he will probably pause and give you a chance to 
shoot. 

If a man does not look desperate and capable of 
continuing shooting until killed it may be sufficient if 
you can break his shooting wrist : while if he should then 
try to shift his pistol from the disabled hand to the other, 
you can break the other also. 



3i2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Should you be mounted and your adversary is on foot, 
jumping off and sheltering yourself behind your horse 
will protect you from a revolver-shot ; also galloping hard 
at him and shouting may spoil his aim. If, on the con- 
trary, he is cool, he may take an easy shot at you by 
dodging and shooting as you pass. 

If a man is running away from, or coming at you, and 
has no firearm, you can make him helpless by shooting him 
in a leg ; a long crossing shot in a bad light would make the 
leg shot rather doubtful, unless there be time to have 
several tries. 

If a man absolutely has to be killed, it is better to 




COLT DERRINGER 

.41 calibre, rim fire 

shoot where the white shirt shows in evening dress. This 
is a bigger mark than the head, and he may, moreover, 
duck his head as you pull. 

The stomach shot is a murderous one, and would not 
be justifiable except under very rare circumstances. A 
charging man at very close range would have the wind 
knocked out of him, and be stopped perhaps more 
effectually by this shot than any other. 

If your opponent is a bad shot, you can take a long 



Shooting i7t Self-Defence 3*3 

shot at him from a distance, say 120 yards, at which, if 
he has a cheap revolver, he cannot hit you except by a 
fluke, and it would not do much harm even if he did hit 
you. 

In fact a bad shot armed with a revolver is less 
dangerous than a strong, determined man with a knife. 
It must be remembered that a knife can be thrown some 
distance, so it does not do to let a man with one in his 
hand, or even suspected of having one, come too close, 
especially in the dark. 

A cartridge loaded with salt is a good man-stopper 
for burglars and has the advantage of not endangering 
life, but of course it is of no use against a determined man 
unless he is shot in the face. In that case salt might do 
even more damage to his eyes than a bullet, and a bullet 
would be a more merciful load. 

The pamphlet on Self-Defence, says that to put the 
revolver beside the head of the bed, or under the pillow, 
is to court being disarmed during your sleep, and it 
recommends having it between the mattresses, handy to 
your reach, or in a padded bag hanging at the side of 
your bed, under the sheets, the object of the padding 
being to prevent the revolver from making a noise against 
the bed when you are drawing it. 

This is all very well if you remember to take out the 
revolver each morning; if you forget, and the housemaid 
makes up the bed roughly, there may be trouble. 

It also advises rolling under a bed or sofa as a pre- 
caution when exchanging shots. 

Make sure that no body can tamper with your revolver 



3H Art of Revolver Shooting 

or cartridges. I knew of a case in which a muzzle-loading 
revolver was kept loaded in an unlocked box at the side 
of the bed. When there was a burglary in the house, this 
revolver was found to have been soaked in water and thus 
rendered useless ! 




**■* 



C l C~7i — 



CHAPTER XXXVI 



PISTOL SHOOTING FOR LADIES 




able weapons. 



REVOLVER puts the weakest 
woman, who is a good shot, on 
an equality with the strongest 
man. It is especially suitable 
for ladies to defend themselves 
with, as they have, as a rule, 
steadier hands than men, and 
there are certain revolvers, just 
suited for ladies, which give 
no recoil and yet are service- 
"U. M. C." gallery ammunition in a .44 
calibre Smith & Wesson Russian Model gives practically 
no recoil, and I have seen a lady do very good target 
shooting with it. With this revolver and load I have 
killed three rabid, or alleged rabid dogs, so it is a practical 
killing load. I use the same revolver and ammunition 
for shooting park bucks. 

Every lady should, to my mind, know how to use a 
pistol. She may at any time be in China, or some other 
country where there are savage natives ; and there is none 
of that danger of bruising the body which is so harmful to 
women using guns or rifles. 

315 



316 Art of Revolver Shooting 

The Smith & Wesson hammerless safety revolvers of 
.38 and .32 calibre are especially suitable for self-defence 
for ladies, but I should not recommend a lady to use these 
or any other short, light, self-defence revolvers for target 
shooting, as the recoil is heavy and apt to hurt a lady's 
hand (particularly between the first finger and thumb) 
and tear the skin. This is inevitable in a revolver made 
as light and as portable as possible, and expected, never- 
theless, to shoot a very heavy charge. 

The best plan is to fire a few shots (the hand being 
protected with a thick driving glove, from which the 
forefinger has been cut off), or, better still, ask a good 
shot, who also knows your "sighting," to do so for you, 
just to get the sights filed right, and then keep this 
pistol for self-defence only, and do practising and com- 
peting with a more accurate and more pleasant shooting 
weapon. 

The revolver or pistol to be used for practice and in 
competitions must depend upon your physique. If you 
are moderately strong, I think the .44 calibre Russian 
Model Smith & Wesson, with the Union Metallic Cart- 
ridge Co.'s gallery ammunition, is as good as any; or, 
if this is too heavy, the .38 or .32 calibre Colt and Smith 
& Wesson revolvers, with gallery ammunition, are very 
good and are specially intended for the use of ladies. 

The Smith & Wesson .32 calibre in .44 calibre frame, 
which I like for fifty-yards target shooting, is rather 
heavy for a lady. Its size is an advantage for a man, as 
he can hold steadier with some little weight in his hand. 
Ladies who are of slight build may find it too heavy ; but 



Pistol Shooting for Ladies 3*7 

with gallery ammunition it has no recoil whatever, which 
is a great advantage for them. 

Always have a barrel not shorter than five inches, and 
not longer than six inches, and save the weight, if you 
want a light weapon, in the general make-up of the re- 
volver rather than in length of barrel, as you lose so much 
accuracy with a three-inch or four-inch barrel that it 
spoils any pleasure in shooting. 

If you confine yourself to light ammunition, you can 
get a very light revolver which is safe with that charge, 
and has no recoil to speak of. 

The Smith & Wesson, which has interchangeable 
barrels of .32 calibre for revolver, and .22 for single-shot 
pistol, is a very suitable weapon for a lady. 

The lighter forms of single-shot Stevens pistols of .22 
calibre and the Leeson .22 are exceptionally well adapted 
to the use of ladies who prefer a single-shot pistol. I have 
seen a very neat .22 calibre revolver of Belgian make 
with a six-inch barrel and cylinder very small in diameter, 
which makes it balance beautifully, but I do not know 
how it shoots or how the Colt .22 shoots. 

In mentioning particular firms, both here and elsewhere 
in this book, I must not be misunderstood to mean that 
the weapons of any one maker are better than those of 
another. All first-class makers turn out good revolvers 
and pistols; and I merely mention those revolvers and 
pistols which I have used and am personally acquainted 
with, and which I find answer my requirements. 

A lady can carry a revolver for self-defence hidden in 
many more ways than a man can, owing to her draperies 



318 Art of Revolver Shooting 

affording more places for concealment. Cloaks, capes, etc., 
make good hiding-places for a revolver; inside a muff is 
about one of the best places; and a small revolver in the 
right hand, inside a muff, that hand hanging down by the 
side, is ready for instant use. As ladies often carry 
their muffs in this way, it does not arouse suspicion. 

It is very important for ladies to protect their ears 
when shooting. 

I do not consider an air gun a very suitable weapon for 
ladies' use; it has such a very bad, heavy dragging trigger 
pull that it does no good for rifle practising, it balances 
badly, and is generally heavier than a .22 short cartridge 
rifle can be made. Also, the lever for compressing the 
spring makes it balance badly, making it heavy forward, 
and the grip is big, in fact it is not the weapon I would 
recommend; its noiselessness, which is its only recom- 
mendation, is really more an imaginary than a real 
advantage, the short .22 (especially out-of-doors with 
smokeless powder) making hardly any report. 

Also, compressing the spring is hard work for a lady; 
the butt has to be pressed against the leg, and the lever 
is apt to spring back and smash the fingers. 

In criticising a former book of mine on shooting, a 
newspaper said it was fit only to teach extremely rich peo- 
ple shooting, as I advocated such expensive methods of 
practising. It instanced, as an example of this expense, 
my saying that one ought to get someone to compress 
the spring of the air gun between shots, as doing so oneself 
made the hands tired and shaky. 

Now, with all respect to the paper in question, I think 



Pistol Shooting for Ladies 3*9 

a lady can find some male friend who will undertake to 
work the lever and load the air gun for her without his 
charging anything; or she could even find a servant to do 
this who would not want a raise in wages in consequence. 

If a tie has to be shot off in a few hours, it is best to 
try and get a rest, and, if possible, to sleep, during the 
interval. If this is impossible, reading an interesting 
book (if the type is not too small to tire the eyes), or 
playing some game, anything to take the thoughts off the 
approaching shoot-off, is good. 

Finally I would add that when a lady sits on the ground 
to shoot off both knees, or lies down to shoot, or even if 
she sits on a chair or stands, out-of-doors, it is most 
important that she should be protected against dampness 
and chills, consequently she will do well to stand on a 
thick mat, and avoid linen underwear. The safest sort 
of garments are thick flannel knickerbockers. 




CHAPTER XXXVII 



SHOOTING FROM A BICYCLE 




jORTUNATELY in most 
countries there is seldom 
necessity to carry a loaded 
revolver on a bicycle. An 
empty one is sufficient to 
frighten away tramps, if 
they stop you on a dark, 
lonely road ; or even a short 
bicycle pump when pointed 
at them may scare them off. 
One can, however, get some sport on a bicycle with a 
revolver. 

I have described in the chapter on Self-defence one 
form of bicycle revolver; but for sport I should use a 
game-shooting one, as a bicycle revolver is not meant for 
anything but self-defence at short range. This latter 
would have to be carried in a holster strapped on the 
front fork, a method which is safer in case of a fall than 
when worn in a belt. 

One can, with a little practice, shoot quite well off a 
bicycle, especially if, when actually aiming, the cyclist is 
"free-wheeling." The action of pedalling spoils one's aim. 



r-,20 



Shooting from a Bicycle 3 21 

A dog flying at your leg, when he comes up in his 
usual pleasant way from behind to bite you in the calf, 
would make a pretty shot; you could put up the leg he 
is going for and shoot down past your thigh, but might 
hear from his owner if he should happen to be in sight. 

A cartridge loaded with coarse salt (as I have recom- 
mended for burglars) would stop a dog well, and teach 
him not to annoy cyclists; but then, in all probability, 




AUTOMATIC EXTRACTOR 



SMITH & WESSON BICYCLE REVOLVER 



you would have not only the owner after you, but the 
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals as well. 
The Devilliers bullet is very good for this style of shoot- 
ing' practice and would be good to stop dogs at close 
quarters. 

A bicycle gives one many good chances at deer, hares, 
rabbits, etc., in the early morning or evening, when going 
silently along by a river in a game country. 

With a Gastinne-Renette pistol, shooting shot, or a .22 
single-shot pistol, one could get lots of small game; but I 



322 Art of Revolver Shooting 

must not go on, or this chapter will resolve itself into hints 
to poachers! 

The weak point of the revolver as an arm for cyclists 
in war is the difficulty of shooting at pursuers. A horse 
can be left to pick his own way, but a cyclist who looks 
behind him is apt not only to lose his balance, but to run 
into something, and has also to slacken speed unless he 
merely blazes away behind him at random without either 
sitting up or looking back. 



y 



/ 



m 







~\ 






CHAPTER XXXVIII 



REVOLVERS FOR THE POLICE 



HAVE on several occasions 
attempted to get a prize 
accepted, to be competed 
for by the police, at Bisley, 
but each time unsuccess- 
fully. 

I then gave a statuette, 
modelled by myself (shown 
in the initial letter heading 
this chapter), as a revolver 
prize, open to the whole of the United States. The con- 
ditions were : 




- ■< 



Any revolver; maximum length of barrel, including cylinder, ten 
inches. Any trigger-pull. Any sight, both sights to be on the 
barrel or forward of the grip of the pistol hand. Any fixed ammuni- 
tion. Cleaning allowed only between scores of six shots. Distance, 
twenty yards. Position, standing, free from any artificial support, 
the revolver to be held in one hand only, with the arm free from 
the body and unsupported in any way. The rear sight not to be 
nearer to the eye than twelve inches. 

Target. — Ready-measurement discs, one shot on each disc, and 
the measurement to be taken by mechanical Vernier scale, from the 
centre of disc to the centre of shot-hole. 

323 



3 2 4 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Scores. — Aggregate of best three in five scores. Each score to 
consist of six consecutive rounds. The five scores to be fired 
consecutively. 

Amateur Standing. — The standing of a contestant as amateur 
and professional to be determined in each individual case by Forest 
and Stream [this journal had charge of the competition]. 

Where not in conflict with the conditions herein, the rules of the 
Massachusetts Rifle Association for revolver competitions to hold. 
The decision of Forest and Stream to be final on all points. 

Any winner of the trophy to hold it, subject to a challenge, 
for the term of two years, after which time it shall become his 
personal property. Upon receiving a challenge, the holder to agree 
with the challenger upon a place and date for their meeting not 
later than six weeks from the receipt of the challenge, of which 
meeting at least two weeks' notice shall be given through Forest 
and Stream, and the shooting at the said meeting to be under the 
same conditions as the original competition for the trophy. In case 
of a failure to agree upon a time and place of meeting, these to be 
fixed by Forest and Stream. 

The trophy to be deposited in the custody of Forest and Stream at 
least one day prior to the challenge meet; and, if required, holders 
to give bonds to Forest and Stream for its safe return. 

The holder not to be required to accept a challenge pending the 
determination of a challenge shoot already under date. In case of 
any dispute about the right of priority in shooting challenges, 
Forest and Stream to determine the order of shooting. All ex- 
penses of targets and gallery to be borne by Forest and Stream. 
Contestants to defray all other expenses. 

This was a great success, and revolver-shots in most 
of the great cities of the United States competed for 
the trophy, which was held by Dr. Louis Bell, of the 
New York Pistol and Revolver Club, for the first time. 



Revolvers for the Police 325 

The trophy passed to two successful challengers, and 
finally became, in 1894, the property of Roundsman 
Petty, of the New York police force, who twice success- 
fully defended his title. 

The police of the United States were so pleased with 
this competition, that it is now the custom in some cities 
to have regular competitions for the members of the 
force ; and many others besides Petty have become fine 
shots in consequence. Petty, however, was always a good 
shot. 

People say: "Oh, if a policeman had a revolver he 
would be likely to shoot a man instead of arresting him." 
In my opinion, it would make a policeman less apt to hurt 
his man; and one would not hear so much of policemen 
being knocked down and kicked to death. If the police- 
man were known to be armed with a revolver, and had the 
"marksman's" badge on his uniform, it would have a 
salutary effect on roughs, who would think twice before 
attacking him; and he, in the confidence of his skill with 
the revolver, would act calmly, and shoot only as a last 
resource. 

Only quite recently there was a report of a mad dog 
in a crowded street of New York. The policeman on the 
beat killed it at the first shot, and did not hit anyone in 
the crowd. Contrast this with the number of shots fired 
at the two anarchists in London lately. 

If a London policeman were to start "loosing off" a 
revolver in a crowd, I fear the ambulance corps would be 
kept busy! 




CHAPTER XXXIX 

KILLING DISABLED ANIMALS 

NYONE can, for a humane pur- 
pose, kill a horse which has be- 
come injured, on the spot, without 
a license of any kind. I 
mention this as many per- 
sons would keep a horse 
waiting whilst a knacker is sent for, under the impression 
that they may not legally kill it themselves. 

For a small animal, unless you are an exceptionally 
good shot, and can be quite sure of putting the bullet 
right through its brain, I think a charge of shot in the 
head at close range with a gun is the least likely to 
cause suffering, as it is also the speediest. 

For a horse, I should not advise gallery ammunition 
out of a revolver. His skull is so thick that the bullet 
might glance off, or not penetrate. 

Where possible, do not use a short-barrelled, self- 
defence revolver, but one you can rely upon, with a heavy 
charge. 

There are several vital spots in a horse, the one to be 
selected being that which you think, all things considered, 
you can utilise without bungling. The heart is out of 

the question, as, even though shot right through the 

326 



Killing Disabled Animals 3 2 7 

middle of it, such a big animal may live some time after 
being hit. Right between the ears from behind (where the 
wounded horses in bull-fights are finished with a dagger) 
is one of the deadliest places, and death is instantaneous. 
To get at this spot, however, is a little difficult, unless the 
horse is lying down. Sometimes he can be got to lower 



MEDULLA 



THE GREENER KILLER 

This illustration clearly shows the position in which 

the Killer should be placed. It is advisable to 

have the barrel in a line with the pith, but 

so long as the "medulla" is pierced, 

instantaneous death is assured. 

his head; not by force (you might hit the man who is 
struggling with his head) but by putting something before 
the horse to which he lowers his head to smell or drink. 

Another good place is the forehead between the eyes, 
and two inches higher than the level of the eyes where 
the hair curls. For this shot, the forehead must be quite 



328 jl r f y Revolver Shooting 

vertical; if it slants back the bullet may glance. When 
the horse is lying with his head on the ground, I shoot him 
in the forehead, but you must make allowance for the 
angle you shoot at, unless you kneel. Something thrown 
before the horse may make him lower his head for a 
moment ; but generally a horse in pain will hang his head 
nearly right for this shot. The third place is behind the 
ear, sideways, to break the neck at the base of the skull; 
but I do not recommend this shot unless you under- 
stand anatomy, as you may bungle it. 

Be especially careful that no damage will be done by the 
bullet, should it go on after having penetrated the horse. A 
brick wall is a good background; but, if you miss the horse 
^ and hit the wall, you may 

\|py |jjjj|§lgl^P have a dangerous ricochet 

^^ off it. 

\EBHjSMjfeS8fr Do not let anyone hold 

» the horse, and do not allow 

the pocket pattern killer spect ators to stand before 

you or at the side of the animal. A horse so injured as to 
require killing will stand quietly enough to need no 
holding; and if you are gentle with him, and do not ad- 
vance too quickly towards him, or make any sudden 
movement, he will in all probability keep quiet. 

Do not shoot a broken-backed, or presumably broken- 
backed horse, without first making sure that he has not 
simply strained himself. A prick with a pin behind the 
seat of injury may show if he has any feeling in his 
hind quarters. If he has, do not shoot till a veterinary 
surgeon has arrived and pronounced the case hopeless. 



Killing Disabled Animals 3 2 9 

The Greener killing apparatus is the most sure and pain- 
less way of killing I know of, and it needs no knowledge 
of pistol shooting. The cartridge is inserted, and the 
apparatus is applied to the horse's forehead, and then 
struck with a mallet. The horse is shot through the 
brain. A similar apparatus is compulsory in Belgian 
slaughter houses, as it should be everywhere. 







V,.Y^' 




CHAPTER XL 

SHOOTING IN THE DARK 

[ERE are occasions on which 
it is necessary to shoot at 
night, as for a night-watch- 
man; or in the case of 
a wild animal's jumping 
into camp and carrying off 
someone; or in night 
attacks. 

For this work an ex- 
ceptionally large dead white front sight (either a fixed one 
or an adjustable one on a hinge or one kept for handiness 
in the stock of the revolver, that can be fitted on when 
necessary) is needful. This sort of sight, though, can be 
seen only if there is moonlight, or at least some glimmer 
of light. 

In pitch-darkness, a large front sight with both itself 
and the rib of the barrel coated with luminous paint is 
useful, provided the revolver is, for several hours previous 
to its being used, exposed to strong sunlight. If the 
revolver be kept all day in a case or a holster, the paint 
will not shine at night. Also, in cleaning the revolver, 
the paint may be spoilt, and may require renewing. I 

330 



Shooting in the Dark 33 1 

would not advise painting any revolver you care 
about. 

My patent electric rifle sight for night shooting is at 
present too cumbersome for application to a revolver; 
moreover, as I remark below, one ought to be able to use 
a revolver at short range by sense of direction, without 
looking along sights. 

This is perhaps the most satisfactory way, — learning 
to shoot in the dark by the sense of direction, by pointing 
your revolver in the direction in which you conjecture the 




POCKET COLT DOUBLE- ACTION REVOLVER 



object to be, not by attempting to see your sights or to 
"draw a bead." 

One can often see an animal on a very dark night by 
crouching down and getting it against the sky-line; and 
yet, on looking through the sights, you cannot discern 
anything. 

One form of practice is to have a target made of tissue 
paper, with a candle behind it to illuminate it. The 
sights are consequently seen in silhouette against it. This 
was the principle of the "Owl" series of prizes shot for in 
the early days of Wimbledon in the evenings. What I 



33 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

think better, so as to teach shooting by sense of direction, 
is to have several metal targets about a foot in 
diameter, hung by wires (these will give out a ringing 
sound when struck, and the rest of the butt should be of 
sand, or sods, or wood, so as to make a different sound). 
Have a small bell hung behind the middle of each target, 
pulled by a string, or an electric bell operated by strings 
held by an assistant standing behind you. 

Now let him ring the bells at random, you firing by 
sense of direction towards where you hear each bell ring. 




POLICE COLT DOUBLE-ACTION REVOLVER 



This practice can also be done in a shooting-gallery at 
night with all the lights turned down, and it is perhaps 
safer there than out-of-doors. 

You can even have targets behind you, and swing 
round and "snap" at them; but this, and in fact all night 
shooting, is very dangerous unless you can be absolutely 
certain that the bullets will do no damage, however 
wildly they may fly, or unless you use Devilliers bullets. 

A man with a good ear can do surprisingly accurate 
work in this style of shooting. 



Shooting in the Da?'k 



333 



Such practice can be done in daylight by being blind- 
folded; and then your assistant can notice where your 
misses go, and help you to improve your shooting. 

I will describe my patent electric sight, though it is 
too complicated for a revolver. 

The object of my invention is to facilitate the sighting 
of firearms in the dusk or at night. 

To this end I adapt to the weapon an electrical front 





k 



% 



fe^g 



^ 



sight and an electric battery with a minute incandescent 
lamp. 

In the accompanying drawing I have shown my in- 
vention as applied to a rifle, by way of example. 

Fig. i is a side view of the rifle complete, with my 
invention applied thereto. 

Fig. 2 is a similar view, partly in section, showing 
the battery inside the stock. 



334 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Fig. 3 is a rear-end view of the rifle. 

Figs. 4 and 5 are front views on an enlarged scale of 
a double- and single-barrelled rifle respectively, with an 
electric front sight affixed thereto. 

Fig. 6 represents the sight as seen by the shooter. 

Fig. 8 is a side view of the lamp case. 

The incandescent lamp a (made as small as practica- 
ble) is enclosed in a metal case b in which is a small hole c 
facing the shooter, so that a bright spot of light appears 
just above or on a line with the ordinary fixed sight of the 
weapon when the current from the generator or battery is 
passing. The lower part of the case b is of a form to fit 
round the barrel and is provided with a small clamping 
screw d by which it can be secured in the proper position. 

The aperture c is protected by a piece of glass, and a 
reflector is arranged within the case b opposite, thus 
making a miniature electrical bull's-eye or dark lantern of 
the lamp. The lamp is mounted on a spring or springs 
after the manner commonly practised with respect to 
incandescent lamps, and is packed round with cotton- 
wool, horsehair, or other elastic substance to prevent 
breakage by the concussion of the rifle on discharge. 

The switch g is fixed at a point suitable for operation 
by the shooter in the act of aiming. It may act auto- 
matically when the butt is presented to the shoulder or 
when the grip is squeezed, or it may be connected with the 
hammer or striker so that when the rifle is at full-cock the 
front sight glows, and when the trigger is pressed the light 
goes out. 

The battery is only of such power as to make the lamp 



Shooting in the Dark 335 

glow sufficiently to enable the shooter to see it plainly ; as 
it would otherwise, if too bright, prevent his seeing the 
object aimed at. 

I think I have now given directions how to handle the 
pistol under most of the circumstances and occasions in 
which one would have use for it; and I have also, I hope, 
shown that it can be employed as a more workmanlike 
and a neater tool than a rifle or a scatter-gun in cases in 
which the uninitiated would not think of using it. 

The revolver is popularly looked upon as an "ex- 
tinguisher," and I may now, having finished writing for 
the present, extinguish my candle with one. 




APPENDIX 

THE LAW RELATING TO REVOLVERS AND 

REVOLVER SHOOTING IN GREAT 

BRITAIN AND IRELAND 




T is perhaps advisable to explain something about the 
right of carrying revolvers in England, and the using 
them in cases of necessity, and first it should be ex- 
plained that a revolver is a gun so far as the Gun Li- 
cense Act of 1870 (33 and 34 Vict. c. 57) is concerned, 
and that a license fee of 10/ per annum has to be paid for the 
privilege of carrying or using one, though a license to kill game in- 
cludes the lesser gun license. In fact it has even been held that a 
small toy pocket pistol is a firearm for the purpose of the Act. 
There are various exceptions to the necessity of taking out this 
license, and it may be as well to enumerate them, especially as 
many people keep revolvers in their houses and would be astonished 
if they thought that a gun license was necessary for the so doing — 
but it is not, so long as the revolver is kept or used in a dwelling 
house, or the curtilage of a dwelling house. This is one of the 
exceptions to the Act, and a very proper and necessary exception 
it is, for it would be most unreasonable to enact that the mere 
keeping a revolver for the purposes of protection should compel 
one to take out an annual license. Moreover the enforcement of 
such a restriction would be almost impossible without an inquisi- 
torial search through every house. Probably because there is 
very little reason for carrying a revolver about with one in this 
country the exception does not apply to the so doing, and the mere 
taking a revolver across the street would technically compel the 
taking out a license. The curtilage of a house is much the same as 
its courtyard, and would no doubt include a yard and garden ad- 
joining the house, but not a field beyond. 

336 



Appendix 337 

Further exceptions are that no penalty is to be incurred by any 
person in the naval, military, or volunteer service, or in the con- 
stabulary or other police force, but it should be noted that this 
exception applies only where the person claiming it is in the per- 
formance of a duty or in target practice, so that the policeman or 
volunteer off duty would still be subject to the obligation of having 
a license. 

Another exception is that of anyone carrying a firearm belong- 
ing to a person having a license or certificate to kill game or having 
a gun license, if he is carrying it by order of, or for the use of, such 
licensed or certificated person, only he is bound to give his name and 
address and the name and address of his employer if called upon. 

The occupier of lands using or carrying a firearm for the pur- 
pose only of scaring birds or killing vermin on such lands is exempt 
too, as also anyone using or carrying a firearm for the same purpose 
on any lands by order of the occupier, if the latter has a game license 
or certificate, or a gun license. Again, a gunsmith or his servant 
carrying a firearm in the ordinary course of trade, or testing it in 
a special place, need not have a license. 

Lastly, a common carrier carrying a revolver in the ordinary 
course of business is exempt. 

To show how strict the law is, it may be added that the killing 
of vermin, which, as above mentioned, is allowed without a license 
does not include rabbits. 

As the penalty is £10 for carrying firearms without a license, I 
have thought it advisable to enlarge somewhat fully on the above 
topic. 

There are also various penalties and punishments which may be 
imposed upon persons misbehaving while in the possession of loaded 
firearms, or wantonly discharging them. Thus anyone who is in 
possession of a loaded firearm and is found to be drunk, may be 
apprehended, and is liable to a penalty not exceeding 40/, or, in 
the discretion of the Court, to imprisonment with or without hard 
labour for not more than one month. 

Then, any person who in the streets of a town wantonly dis- 
charges any firearm to the obstruction, annoyance, or danger of 
the residents or passengers, is liable to a penalty not exceeding 40/ 
for each offence, or, in the discretion of the justices, to imprison- 
ment for not more than fourteen days (no hard labour). 

It is hardly necessary to say that the wrongful use of a revolver 



33$ Art of Revolver Shooting 

as an offensive weapon is very heavily punished, it being provided 
that anyone who shoots at a person or attempts, by drawing a 
trigger or in any other manner, to discharge any kind of loaded 
arms at a person with intent to commit murder, is guilty of felony 
and liable to penal servitude for life, or any less term, or to imprison- 
ment for not more than two years with or without hard labour and 
solitary confinement. 

Again, anyone who unlawfully and maliciously wounds, or 
causes any grievous bodily harm to any person, or who shoots at 
any person, or who by drawing a trigger or in any other manner 
attempts to discharge any kind of loaded arms at a person, with 
intent in any of these cases to maim, disfigure, or disable any person, 
or to do some other grievous bodily harm to any person, or with 
intent to resist or prevent the lawful apprehension or detainer of 
any person, is liable to penal servitude for life or for not less than 
three years, or to imprisonment for not more than two }^ears with 
or without hard labour and solitary confinement. "Loaded 
arms" are defined as "any gun, pistol, or other arms which shall be 
loaded in the barrel with gunpowder or any other explosive sub- 
stance, and ball, shot, slug, or other destructive material, although 
the attempt to discharge the same may fail for want of proper prim- 
ing, or from any other cause." Finally, anyone who unlawfully 
and maliciously wounds or inflicts any grievous bodily harm upon 
any person with or without any weapon or instrument, is liable to 
penal servitude for three years, or to imprisonment for not more 
than two years with or without hard labour. The words "unlaw- 
fully and maliciously" are difficult to construe, and therefore it 
may be well to state that a man who fired in the direction of a punt, 
in order to deter the occupant from fowling in a particular locality, 
and wounded him in so doing, was convicted of malicious wounding; 
and generally that if a wound were to be caused mischievously and 
without excuse the person who inflicted it would probably be 
found guilty under this enactment. 

vSo much for the strict offences caused by the improperly carry- 
ing or making use of revolvers. Before, however, leaving this 
subject it will be advisable to enter at a little length into the rights 
which anyone has of using a revolver in self-defence, or in some 
other analogous manner. Supposing a man has passed through the 
ordeal of the" Gun License Act and is properly and legally carrying 
a loaded revolver, in what cases of emergency would he be justified 



Appendix 339 

in using it? Well, this is a very difficult question to answer, and 
one which in each event would depend entirely on the circum- 
stances of the particular case. It is therefore impossible for me to 
lay down any exact principles governing every event of the kind 
which might happen, and I will content myself with stating a few 
hypothetical instances and what course of conduct might be 
adopted in each instance. 

There is no doubt on this point, anyhow, — that one is justified in 
using a loaded revolver in self-defence, where an attack of such a 
murderous character is made as to threaten one's own existence, 
or the infliction of serious bodily harm ; and, if the assailant should 
be killed, yet the using of the revolver and so disposing of him would 
be deemed as having been justifiable. The same rule would apply 
to shooting an assassin who was attempting to kill someone else. 
For instance, if while standing on a railway platform I were to see a 
man shooting at someone in a railway carriage, and at such dis- 
tance that I could not actively interfere except b}^ shooting, I 
should be right in firing at the assailant, and though my shot should 
prove fatal, still no blame could be attached to me. 

How far one is justified in using a revolver in beating off or 
capturing burglars in one's house is, as already mentioned, a 
matter which can only be decided by the facts of the particular 
case. Assuredly where a man is awakened in the night by the 
noise of burglars breaking into or already in his house, and seizes 
his revolver and confronts the robbers, he would be justified in 
firing if the robbers threatened to attack him, and it is assumed that 
he would also be right in firing at a robber making off with booty 
who refused to stop when challenged to do so, if there were no 
reasonable chance of arresting him in any other way; though in 
the latter event he should endeavour so to shoot as to cripple 
rather than kill. Indeed it may be said, extraordinary though the 
statement may seem, that even in the hurry and skurry of a con- 
flict with burglars the mind should remain calm and collected, 
so as to judge whether a mortal shot is required, rather than one 
which will only "wing" the opponent. 

In connection with this branch of the subject, the justification 
of a fatal shot may to some extent depend upon whether the robber 
was himself armed. If he were, then the killing him would be more 
easily justifiable than if he were unarmed. This is somewhat 
instanced by the law regarding an assault and battery in self- 



340 Art of Revolver Shooting 

defence, which is that where there is an assault the person resisting 
must show that his assault committed in self-defence was not 
more violent than he in good faith believed to be necessary and 
committed on reasonable grounds, so that it would not be right to 
inflict a heavy beating on a person who had only committed a 
slight assault upon one. So when all danger is past and a man 
strikes a blow not necessary for his defence, he commits an un- 
justifiable assault and battery, — and this principle would apply 
to the preventing of crimes, so that though one might be acting 
correctly in firing at and killing a man who was murderously as- 
saulting a third person, yet, after the assault had been committed, 
it might be wrong to kill the murderer if he were only discovered 
when running away, unless that was the only means of arresting 
him. 

Another point which has sometimes exercised the minds of 
those in the habit of carrying revolvers is whether they are justified 
in using such a weapon to put an end to pain on the part of dumb 
animals where recovery is almost impossible. It may be said 
generally that no one can with safety interfere in such cases, even 
with the most benevolent intentions, so that if a horse, dog, or 
other animal has been so injured as to be suffering extreme agony, 
yet it would not be legal to put the poor creature out of its misery, 
unless with the consent of the owner. 

The exception has been made by the Injured Animals Act, 1894, 
but that only empowers a constable to kill a horse, mule, or ass 
which is so severely injured that it cannot be led away, when the 
owner is absent or refuses to consent to its destruction, after a 
certificate has been obtained from a certified veterinary surgeon 
that the animal is mortally injured or so severely that it is cruel to 
keep it alive. 

The exception that has been introduced by the Act of Parliament 
passed in 1894 and called "The Injured Animals Act, 1894," 
provides for the slaughter, without the owner's consent, of horses, 
mules, or asses, in cases of injury so serious as to make it cruel to 
keep them alive. It does not apply to animals other than those 
enumerated above, and is hedged round with such restrictions as to 
render it of little avail. These in brief are as follows : A constable 
must find the animal so severely injured that it cannot without 
cruelty be led away, the owner must be absent or refuse to consent 
to the destruction of the animal, and the constable must obtain the 



Appendix 34 1 



certificate of a veterinary surgeon that the animal is mortally- 
injured, or so severely that it is cruel to keep it alive. After doing 
all this the constable may kill the animal. 

The foregoing statements as to the law are not exhaustive, but 
they are made with the intention of helping the revolver-carrying 
section of the public to know what they may be responsible for, 
and on what occasions or emergency they may safely use their 
weapons. To make sure that no legal error has crept in, these 
statements have been submitted to Mr. C. Willoughby Williams, 
of No. I, Brick Court, Temple, Barrister at Law, who is of opinion 
that the law as set out is correct. 

It will be seen, from what is said above, that if a gun or a game 
license is obtained, it is not illegal to carry a loaded revolver, so 
that if anyone had to go along a lonely road, or had received a 
threatening letter which had alarmed him, he would be quite in 
his right in taking about with him a loaded revolver. It would 
even be quite right for anyone to carry about a loaded revolver in 
his pocket merely as a protection in case he should be unexpectedly 
attacked, but anyone carrying about with him such an article 
should be prepared to use it only in cases of great emergency, and 
should keep a clear head on his shoulders. 

Another example of the advantages of carrying a revolver 
would be if one were attacked by a mad dog. In such a case, if 
the dog attacked in a ferocious manner, it would be permissible 
to shoot the dog, but it would not be allowable to shoot a dog on 
the supposition that he was mad, unless he was attacking one; 
though, of course, if there were no doubt about the dog's being 
mad, then, for the sake of others, it would be wise to shoot him. 

Again, if while carrying a revolver anyone were passed by a 
runaway horse, and such horse were about to run over a child, it 
might be permissible to shoot the horse in order to save the child, 
if one were too far off to catch hold of the animal. These, however, 
are all matters of degree, and what would be right and proper to do 
in one case might in a case almost similar be quite wrong. 

Note. — Since the first edition of this book was issued, the Pistols 
Act of 1903 has come into force. This Act stops the sale, by retail 
or by auction, or the letting on hire, of any pistol (which would 
include a revolver), unless the purchaser has a gun or game license, 
or is entitled to use or carry a gun without such license, or unless the 



34 2 Art of Revolver Shooting 

purchaser shows that he purposes to use the pistol only in his own 
house or the curtilage thereof, or that he is about to proceed abroad 
for a period of not less than six months. The Act also prevents the 
sale or hiring out of a pistol to a person under the age of 18 years, 
and places a very heavy penalty on anyone knowingly selling a 
pistol to a person who is intoxicated or not of sound mind. 




THE LAW OF CARRYING WEAPONS IN THE 
UNITED STATES 

HE statutes of the various States upon the subject of 
carrying weapons are substantially similar, the main 
differences relating to the persons exempted from 
their operation, and to the manner of carrying the 
weapon, some making it an offence to carry the 
weapon at all, whether concealed or not; others prohibiting the car- 
rying of concealed weapons only. 

These statutes have been held to be police regulations, and not 
to conflict with the constitutional right of the people to keep and 
bear arms. 

Weapons are considered to be concealed, within the intent 
of the statutes, when they cannot be readily seen by ordinary 
observation. 

In some of the States, as in Kentucky, Louisiana, and Missouri, 
the carrying of "deadly" or "dangerous" weapons is prohibited. 
Most of the States, however, specify the weapons prohibited. 
Such weapons as pistols, dirks, butchers' or bowie knives, stilettos, 
daggers, swords, brass knuckles, razors, slugs, etc., are usually 
specified in nearly all of the statutes. 

Officers of the law are usually exempted from the operation 
of the statutes. The officers must, however, be duly appointed, 
and in the discharge of their duties at the time of carrying the 
weapons. 

Persons who are threatened with bodily harm, or who have 
reasonable grounds to apprehend danger or attack, are usually 
justified in carrying concealed weapons. It is not every idle 
threat, however, which would justify one in carrying concealed 
weapons. The threat must be such as to cause a reasonable ap- 
prehension of danger. Examples of this exemption are found in 
the statutes of Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Maryland, 
and West Virginia. 

343 



344 Art of Revolver Shooting 

Persons on their own premises are frequently exempted from 
the operation of the statutes. This is so in Arkansas, North Caro- 
lina, and Texas. 

Some of the statutes exempt persons who are travelling. This 
is so in Arkansas, Mississippi, and Texas. 

The burden of proving exemption rests usually upon the accused. 
This has been expressly decided in Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa, Ken- 
tucky, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. 
In Michigan, however, it has been held that the prosecution must 
prove that the defendant does not fall within one of the exemptions. 



Accident, Danger of, 58, 304 
Alcohol, Effects on the Brain, 221 
Ammunition, 33, 88, 103 

Blank for Stage Shooting, 270 

Cordite, 33 

Eley's, 26, 36 

Gallery, 75. 124 

King's Semi-Smokeless, 27, 33 

Riflite, 33 

Walsrode, 33 

(Revolver), Cost of, 41 
"Any" Revolver Competitions, 179 
"Any" Target Revolver, 28 
AuCommandement, Shooting, 136, 142, 

144 
Automatic Pistol, Browning, 242 

Colt, 242 

Danger with, 5, 242 

Selecting, 245 
Automatic Revolvers, Fosbery-Webley, 
215, 242 

Badges Won by the Author, 115, 193 

Balance near the Trigger, 23 

Belgian Match Pistol, 13 

Belgian Slaughter Houses, 329 

Bell, Dr. Louis, 324 

"Best on Record" Scores by the 

Author, 195, 200, 204, 209, 211, 

213, 219, 222, 227, 230 
Bicycle, Shooting from a, 320 
Big Game Shooting with the Revolver, 

273 
Bisley, 17, 23, 36, 81, 112 
"Bisley" Colt, 26 



Bisley Meetings, 176, 190, 208, 217 

225, 229 
Bisley Prize Certificate, 175 
Bisley Targets and Marking, 179 
Boer War, Episode of the, 247 
Bogardus Trap, 300 
Breathing when Shooting, 70 
Browning Automatic Pistol, 242 
"Buffalo Runner" Horse, 286 
Buffalo Running, 273 
Bullets, Blunt-Nose, 248 
Burglars in the House, 310 
Butt, Winans' Safety, 60 

Carlyle (quoted), 83 
Cartridge, Dummy, 71 

"Fourth of July, " 270 

Loaded with Salt, 313 
Cats, Do Not Shoot Them, 294 
Chicago Exhibition, 31 
Classification of Arms, 86 
Clay-Pigeon Shooting with the Pistol, 

299 
Cleaning and Care of Weapons, 42 
Cleaning Appliances, 79 
Cleaning Kit, 43 

Clothing, What to Wear when Shoot- 
ing, 189 
Coaching, 232 
Cocking the Pistol, 65 
Cocking the Revolver, 185, 201, 212 
Colt Automatic Pistol, 242 
Colt Colonel, 4, 10, 11, 14, 18 
Colt Derringer, 312 

Double-Action Cavalry, 26 



345 



346 



Index 



Colt — Continued 

New Army Revolver, 248 
New Navy Revolver, 250 
New Service Revolver, 250 
Solid Frame Revolver, 75 

Competitions, French, 78, 82 
Police, 324 
Supervision of, 90 
Weapon and Ammunition, for, 102 

Cordite, 33 

Crane, R. Newton, on Duelling, 165 

Daily Graphic (quoted), 5 
Decisions, Doubtful Shots, 183 
Deer-Stalking, 280 
De La Rue, "Ace of Hearts, " 124 
Devillier's Bullet, 292 

for Cavalry, 254 

Competitions with, 146 

Fight on Horseback with, 151 

Precautions for Safety, 146 

Stage Shooting with, 151 
Disarming an Adversary, 308 
Double-Barrelled Pistols, 295 
Duelling, Challenging, 156 

French Laws on, 165 

Humorous Attitude toward, 156 

Position for, 160 
Duelling Pistol, Distances for the, 134 

French, 25, 55, 96, 126 

Grip and Balance, 136 

How to Hold the, 131 

Loading the, 133 
Dutch Army Revolvers, 28 

Ears, Protection for the, 194 
Eley's Black Powder, 26, 36 
English Galleries, 126 
Extension Stock, 288 
Eyes, Care of the, 192, 240 

Fallow Deer Shooting, 276 

Feet, Pointing Weapon at the, 135 

Firearms, Author Forbidden Use of, 7 

Flobert Rifle, 7 

Forest and Stream, 324 

Form, Proper, when Shooting, 180 



Fosbery-Webley Automatic Revolver, 

215, 242 
Franco-Prussian War, Incident of, 25 
French Army Revolver, 28 
Competitions, 28 
Regulation Revolver, 24 
French Smokeless Powder, 31, 34, 79, 
124, 186 

Gallery, Ammunition, 75, 124 

Lighting, 120 

Private, 119, 224 

Shooting, 120 
Gastinne-Renette Competitions, 118 

Challenge Trophy, 138 

Gallery, 2, 21, 31,118,126,296 

Prizes Offered by, 127 

Roll of Honor, 127 

Self-Registering Targets, 122 
General Utility Weapon, 20 
Giles, G. D., 5 
Glass Balls, 300 
Greener Killer for Disabled Animals, 

327 
Grouse Shooting, 294 
Gun License Act, 338 

Health Necessary for Competition, 

109 
Hillias' Cleaning Fluid, 43 
Hip Pocket, Carrying a Revolver in 

the, 307 
Holster, 276 

Horse, Training the, 274 
Horseback, Shooting from, 273 
Horsley, Victor, on Alcohol, 221 

Injured Animals Act, 340 

Killer, Pocket Patent, 328 

The Greener, 327 
Killing Disabled Animals, 326 
King's Semi-Smokeless Powder, 33, 

37 
Kraepelin, Prof., Investigations, 221 
Kynoch's Brass Cartridges, 41 



Index 



347 



Law Relating to Revolvers in Great 

Britain, 336 
Law Relating to Revolvers in the 

United States, 343 
Learning to Use the Pistol, 55 
Leather Case, with Key, 114 
Leeson, 22-Calibre Pistol for Ladies, 

317 
Left hand, Shooting with, 83 
Lending Weapons, Advice on, 185 
" Letting-Off , " 71 

Lifting the Pistol above the Head, 73 
Loading, Firing, Timing, and Cleaning, 

75,87 
London Policeman, 325 
"Lovat Mixture" Clothes, 280 
Lynch, Chemist of London, 194 

Mantlet, Safety, 32 
Manton (Joe), Pistol, 10 
Marlin Gun-Grease, 43 
Martingale, Use of, 282 
Martini Rifle, 68 
Massachusetts Rifle Ass'n, 324 
Metronome, The, 135, 197, 202 
Mattresses, Revolver between, 313 
Military Revolver, 23, 178 
Misfire in Competitions, 203 
Moist Hands, 24 
Morris Tube Company, 32 
Muscles, Pistol Shooting good for the, 
66 

National Rifle Association, Council 

of, 51 
National Rifle Association Meeting at 

Bisley, 176, 190, 208, 217, 225, 229 
New York Pistol and Revolver Club, 

324 
Nitro Powders, 42 
North London Rifle Club, 85 
Rifle Club, Officers of, 100 
Rifle Club Regulations, 104 
Rifle Club Revolver Champion- 
ship, 106 
Rifle Club, Revolver Competi- 
tions. 100 



Olympic Games, Author's Diploma, 

233 

Championship, 167, 174 
Ornamentation, 30, 121 
"Owl" Prizes at Wimbledon, 331 

Paine, Chevalier Ira, 1, 21, 31, 258 

Paine (quoted), no 

Patents (Old), 16 

Penalty for Carrying Firearms in 

Great Britain, 337 
Personal, 1 
Petty, Roundsman, Winner of Police 

Trophy, 325 
Pigeon Shooting with the Revolver, 

296 
Pistol, Advantages over Sword, 250 

Cases, 44 

Future of the, 31 

Handling the, 57 

Never Leave Loaded, 82 

Shooting, a Clean Sport, 6 

Shooting in England, 113 

Shooting for Ladies, 315 

and Revolver Clubs, 85 

The 22-Calibre, Single-Shot, 167 

The 22-Calibre Single-Shot, Only 
a Toy, 174 
"Pistolet" Club, 113, 144, 178 

Character of the, 145 

of Paris, 85 

Rules, 91 
Pistols Act of 1903, 341 
Plating, 30, 215 
Pneumatic Pistol, 271 
Pocket, Shooting through the, 307 
Police Competitions, Rules for, 324 

Revolvers for the, 323 
Polonius' Advice, 302 
Pool Shooting, 181 
Portugal, King of, Scores by, 127 
Position when Shooting, 63, 87, 103, 

198, 223 
"Possibles," 181, 188 
"Possibles, " made by Author, 235 
Powder, Low-Pressure, 36 
Practice and Training, 109 



348 



Index 



Prices of Revolvers, 32 

Prizes Given for Aggregates, 206 

Jewels, 101 

Spoons, 101 
Protests, 90 



Rabbits, Shooting, 294 

Range Officers' Decision Final, 183 

Rapid Cocking, 23 

Rapid Firing, 208 

"Raw" on the Shooting Hand, 113 

"Reaction Times," Increased, 221 

Recoil, 69 

Records, 91 

Red Deer, 278 

"Referee, The" (quoted), 154 

Refreshments during Competition, 237 

Revolver, Competitions, 100, 176 

Evolution of the, 10 

Half -Worn Best, 80, 210 

Length for the, 22 

Shots in Paris, Good, 128 

Steadying the, 82 

in U. S. Civil War, 253 

in War, 247 

Hand-Ejecting, 75 
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 1 
Rifle and Revolver Club, 107 
Riflite, 33 
Roe-Stalking, 288 
Rose, the Author's Mare, 282 



St. Petersburg, travelling in, 8 

Scientific American, 12 

Score Cards, Sign and Date, 239 

Scoring, 77 

Selecting a Pistol, 20 ■ 

Selecting a Revolver, 20 

Self -Defence (quoted), 313 

Sense of Direction, Shooting by, 332 

Shooting in Competitions, 238 

in the Dark, 330 

in Self-Defence, 302 

Objects off the Head, 186 

as a Pastime, 1 

in the Rain, 182 



Short Range Series, 180 

Sight, Winan's Patent Electric, 333 

Sighting Varies, 180 

Sights, 46, 88, 187 

Smith & Wesson Bicycle Revolver, 321 

Hammerless for Ladies, 316 

Hammerless Safety Revolver, 303 

Mechanism of, 304 

Military, 24, 26, 28, 34 

38-Military Revolver, 24 

Pistols, 22-Calibre, 169 

with Interchangeable Barrel, 170 

Revolvers (accuracy of), 28 

Revolvers, Winan's Model, 26, 28 

Russian, 28, 34, 68, 253 

Self-Lubricating Bullet, 37, 231 

Solid Frame Revolvers, 186 
Sights, Winan's Patent, 46, 52, 55, 187 

Target, 47 

Paine, 47 

Lyman, 47 

Filing the, 47 

Ira Paine Adjustable, 52 
Small Game Shooting, 294 
Smoking and Drinking, 3, 6, HO, 220 
Sparrows, Shooting, 297 
Spectacles for Shooting, 192 
Squeezing the Trigger, 72, 200 
Stage Shooters, Professional, 34, 255 

Shooting, Blank Ammunition for, 
270 
Statuette, Modelled by the Author, 323 
Stevens Diamond, 170, 173 

"Lord," 172 

New Model Pocket or Bicycle 
"Rifle," 172 

"Off-Hand Target," 171 

Pistol, Gould Model, 169 

Single-Shot Pistols, 34 

"Tie-Up," 173 

Vernier New Model Pocket 
"Rifle," 172 
Strain on the Thumb, Wrist, etc., 196 
Swallow Shooting with the Duelling 
Pistol, 295 

Table for Firearms, 72 



Index 



349 



Target, Advancing ("The Burglar"), 
225 

American, 111 

Bisley, 50 Yards 62, 80, 180 

Bisley, 20 Yards, 179 

De La Rue, "Ace of Hearts," 124 

Disappearing, 190 

French, 78 

Gastinne-Renette, 139 

Represents the Face of a Clock, 
69 

Self-Registering, 121 

Short-Range Series, 180 

Shooting off Horseback, 290 

Silhouette of Man, 136 

Stationary, 79 180, 

Stationary, 50 Yards, 229 

Substitute for Bisley, 197 

Trajectory, 32 

Traversing ("The Slider"), 217 

Winan's Cinematograph, 122 
"Target" Webley, 26 
Team Shooting, 232 
Thumb-Piece Roughed, 23 
Ties, 90 

Time for Shooting, Best, 182, 191 
Timing Shots, 202, 212 
Tools, Reloading, 39 



Trajectory of Pistol, 77 
Traps for Pigeon Shooting, 
Trick Shooting, 266 
Trigger-Pull, 23, 88, 178 



299 



36 



Union Metallic Cartridge Co. 

Gallery Ammunition, 34 

Revolver Powder, 28 
United States Revolver Association, 85 

Rules of, 86 

Walsrode, 33 

War, the Revolver in, 247 

Webley, 32 

Webley, Man-Stopping Bullet, 181, 
182 

Wilkinson Gallery, 85 

Williams, C. Willoughby, 341 

Wimbledon, 58, 113 

Winan's Cinematograph Target, 122 
Model Revolver, 30 
Model, Smith & Wesson, 26 
Patent Electric Sight, 333 
Safety Butt, 60 

Wind, Shooting in the, 116, 183 

"Wipe out" after Each Shot, 206 

WurfHein Pistol, 169 

Zeise Glass, 229 




By WALTER WINANS 

Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislas of Russia; Vice-President 
of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain, etc. 

The Art of Revolver Shooting 

Together -witH A.11 Information Concerning the Automatic 

and the Single-Shot Pistol, and How to Handle Them 

to the Best Advantage 

New Edition, R.evised and Enlarged. Very fully Illustrated with Original 
Photographs by Rouch, Fry, Purdey, Penfold, and Others, and Head- 
and Tail-pieces from Drawings by the Jtuthor. Royal Svo, handsomely 
printed, and bound in cloth extra, gilt top, uncut edges, net, $S.oo 



Mr. Walter Winans, the well-known champion 
revolver-shot, has been for many years working out the 
theory and practice of revolver shooting, and this is the 
first occasion of his publishing the collected results of his 
close study of the weapon. 

Although several chapters of the book give minute 
instructions as to how to shoot in order to win prizes at 
the Bisley meeting, the author has not neglected the more 
general and practical side of the subject, and even such 
matters (hitherto regarded in the light of professional 
secrets) as trick- and stage-shooting, shooting in the dark, 
etc., are treated in detail not previously attempted, while 
a chapter on how to use the revolver (as distinct from 
target shooting) in warfare, has a present interest that 
must appeal to many. 

Hints on Revolver Shooting 

With 20 Illustrations Crown Svo., net, $1.00 



The art and sport of revolver shooting is increasing 
yearly in popularity. This little volume by Mr. Walter 
Winans, the well-known champion revolver-shot, has been 
designed to meet the demand for a hand-book convenient 
in size for use in the gallery and field. It contains concise 
information on the most approved revolver methods, with 
a special chapter on revolver shooting for ladies. " Hints 
on Revolver Shooting " will prove valuable alike to the 
beginner and the experienced marksman. 



Send for descriptive Circular 

NEW YORK G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS LONDON 



By WALTER WINANS 

Chevalier of the Imperial Order of St. Stanislas of Russia; Vice-President 
of the National Rifle Association of Great Britain, etc. 

Practical Rifle Shooting 

Crown 8vo. With frontispiece. Met, 50 cents 

There are many excellent works to be had on the subject 
of rifle-shooting at targets, but there has been nothing 
published on practical rifle-shooting. By practical rifle- 
shooting is meant the capacity to handle a rifle so that 
the user can confidently expect to stop a wild animal when 
in rapid motion and charging, or a charging man. Mr. 
Winans's book is designed to furnish the beginner with a 
series of hints, by the use of which he may be enabled not 
only to put himself through a course of continuous and 
graduated training, but may also keep himself free of the 
tricks which impede progress, and which, if persisted in, 
will destroy his ability for any but the most artificial forms 
of shooting. 

The Sporting Rifle 

The Shooting of Big and Little Game 

Together with a Description of the Principal Classes of Sporting Weapons 

With about 125 Illustrations from Original Drawings by the Author, and 

from Photographs specially taken for the book 

Royal 8vo, handsomely printed, and bound in cloth extra, 
gilt top, uncut edges. $5.00 net 

Mr. Winans has earned for himself an international repu- 
tation on the art of rifle- and revolver- shooting, and his 
earlier works on the subject have been accepted as stand- 
ards. The present work is profusely illustrated, both by 
the author, T. Blinks, and other well-known artists, and 
gives the fullest details with diagrams as to how to handle 
the rifle for all sorts of game shooting, and also for winning 
prizes in shooting competitions at moving targets. Besides 
illustrating the various makes of rifles, there is a unique 
set of working drawings showing in minute detail how to 
construct " Running Deer" and disappearing targets. 
Maps and plans giving directions how to post the guns for 
Deer Driving, and how to manoeuvre the beaters is also 
featured in this important work. The natural history is 
illustrated by a series of photographs taken from life by 
H. Penfold. 



Send for descriptive circular 

NEW YORK G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS LONDON 



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